HC Deb 27 January 1860 vol 156 cc220-1
MR. BENTINCK

said, he had to ask the President of the Board of Trade Whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to introduce any measure during the present Session founded on the Report of the Committee on Railway Accidents which was laid on the table of the House in the year 1858?

MR. MILNER GIBSON

said, the Report to which the hon. Member referred had been carefully considered. It no doubt contained many useful suggestions for the prevention of railway accidents; but with re- gard to that part of the Report in which the Board of Trade was specially concerned—namely, the recommendation that Parliament should be asked to confer additional powers on the Board of Trade for the investigation of railway accidents, he might state that they had not found railway companies at all backward in affording facilities for investigating such accidents, and therefore it was not thought necessary to ask Parliament for any increased powers to the Board of Trade for that purpose. There was accordingly no intention at present on the part of the Government to introduce any measure on the subject.