§ MR. F. A. CHANNING (Northampton, E.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, having regard to the fact that the percentage of fatal accidents to the numbers employed in certain classes of railway work is considerably higher than the similar percentages of fatal accidents to the numbers employed in coal mines and in factories and workshops, and to the 1522 difficulty of determining the causes in many railway accidents, he will consent to the Second Reading of the Coroners' Inquests (Railway Fatalities) Bill, and to send the Bill to a Standing or Select Committee, or will introduce legislation on similar lines to place the inquests in railway accidents on a similar footing to those in the cases of mines and of factories and workshops?
§ MR. AKERS-DOUGLAS (for Mr. RITCHIE)In the opinion of my right hon. Colleague there is nothing to show that existing legislation fails to give Coroners ample means of obtaining technical assistance in difficult cases, or that any such comparison of percentages as is suggested by the hon. Member can be made. Under these circumstances the reason for the legislation referred to does not seem strong.