§ MR. T. H. COCHRANE (Ayrshire, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he can give any information as to when the Report of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Mines will be published regarding the flooding of No. 4 Auchenharvie Pit at Stevenston, Ayrshire; and, whether there are any hopes that the bodies of those who were unfortunately drowned in the accident can be recovered?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir MATTHEW RIDLEY,) Blackpool, Lancashiresaid: This accident will be the subject of 1236 a public inquiry, to be held next week, under the Fatal Accidents Inquiry Act of last Session. The Inspector of Mines will take part in this inquiry, and until it is completed I do not propose to call for a final Report as to the causes of the disaster. I am informed that probably the only hope of recovering the bodies of those drowned would be by pumping out the water from the flooded mine. And I am afraid I must add that, so far as I am informed, to do this would be a matter of the greatest difficulty, if not impossibility.