§ MR. HAMBROasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether the Marine Department of that Board have received any Report of the repeated capsizing of the lifeboat of Balbriggan Skerries, resulting in the death of nearly the whole crew; and, whether he has caused any inquiry to be made into that sad calamity; and, if so, what has been recommended, with a view to preventing similar losses by the capsizing of lifeboats for the future?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE,in reply, said, that the Board of Trade had not received any Report of this unhappy accident before he saw the hon. Member's Question; otherwise an investigation would have been ordered at once. The hon. Member was probably aware that the Board of Trade had no right to receive a Report from the Lifeboat Institution, which was a private Society; but it had a right to receive a Report from the officers of the Coastguard, who for this purpose were under the Board of Trade. He was at a loss to know why a Report had not been made: but he had called for an explanation on the subject.