STUC spokesman Ian Tasker reads the statement outside the court

The STUC gave a statement on behalf of six of the nine victims - Annette Doyle, Peter Ferguson, Kenneth Murray, Tracey McErlane, Tim Smith and Ann Trench.

As we have heard today, ICL Plastics and ICL Tech Ltd have pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety legislation, breaches that subsequently led to the needless death of our loved ones.

Our lives have been on hold for the last three years and three months and we have finally found out what caused the deaths and how our loved ones died.

However, no court case or penalty imposed by the courts will bring our families back or provide an explanation as to why they died. There is no explanation that could satisfactorily or rationally justify why nine individuals left their homes on the morning of 11 May, 2004, never to return again.

GLASGOW BLAST VICTIMS Margaret Brownlie, 49, Strathaven Annette Doyle, 34, Glasgow Peter Ferguson, 52, Kilbarchan Thomas McAulay, 41, Mount Florida, Glasgow Stewart McColl, 60, West Kilbride Tracey McErlane, 27, Possilpark, Glasgow Kenneth Murray, 45, Paisley Timothy Smith, 31, Johnstone Ann Trench, 34, Colston, Glasgow

It is now time for the concerns of the families to be taken into account and we continue to call for a wide-reaching public inquiry that provides us with answers as to why these health and safety breaches occurred.

We will be asking for a meeting with the lord advocate to make our views clear regarding what we expect from a public inquiry.

For us, the process goes on and we would hope that the lord advocate will ensure that steps are taken to ensure that, for our sakes, any future inquiry will be held as soon as possible.

This inquiry first and foremost needs to provide us with some of the answers as to why this happened and why so many individuals suffered significant injury.

As we said, nothing can return our loved ones to us, nor restore the health of those seriously injured both physically and psychologically.