§ MR. CAYZER (Barrow-in-Furness)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he would state the number of British vessels of the Royal and Merchant Navy wrecked on the coast of Spain and Portugal during the last five years and up to date, with the number of lives lost; whether he has any information to show whether these losses are largely attributable to the insufficient, defective, and irregular condition of the lights on the coasts; and whether Her Majesty's Government propose to take any action to place the lighting of these dangerous coasts in a proper and effective condition?
§ MR. MUNDELLADuring the last five years and up to date there have been on the coasts of Spain and Portugal, according to Reports received, two cases of strandings of British men-of-war (H.M.S. Serpent, with a loss of 173 lives, and H.M.S Howe, with no loss of life) and 176 cases of strandings of British merchant vessels with a loss of 210 lives. I am advised that an improved system of lighting would conduce to greater safety to shipping. Her Majesty's Government are not in a position to place the lighting of the coasts of foreign countries in "a proper and effective condition," but the Board of Trade have made repeated representations to the Foreign Office on this subject for communication to Foreign Governments.