§ MR. SUMMERS (Huddersfield)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the cases of assault and alleged assault upon women in railway carriages, he will consider the advisability of taking such steps as may be necessary to secure that there shall be on all trains efficient communication with the guard or driver, and that such communication shall be made available from the interior of the carriages as is already the case on some English and many foreign railways?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHAs I have already stated, in reply to a question of the hon. Member for West Bromwich, efficient means of communication are now required by Statute to be provided in all passenger trains which travel more than twenty miles without stopping; and, as at present advised, I am not prepared to propose an extension of the law, though the matter will be carefully watched.
§ MR. SUMMERSIn the opinion of the right hon. Gentleman are the present arrangements efficient?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHYes, Sir; I think so.