§ *SIR W. J. COLLINS (St. Pancras, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in connection with the proposed reforms in the law relating to coroners, he will have regard to the representations made to the Lord Chancellor on this subject in March, 1907, by the Medico-Legal Society and by the London County Council.
§ *THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. HERBERT SAMUEL,) Yorkshire, ClevelandMy hon. friend will be aware that the subject of death certification was fully dealt with by a Select Committee of the House of Commons, which reported in 1893, and that the proposals to which he refers are substantially covered by that Committee's recommendations. The Secretary of State has under consideration, as I announced on the Second Reading of the Coroners' Inquests Bill, the question of appointing a Departmental Committee to inquire into certain points relating to coroners' inquests, and so far as the proposed reforms affect coroners, they would come within its scope, and form part of its investigation.
§ *SIR W. J. COLLINSIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the Report of the Select Committee to which he refers has 1242 not achieved any legislative result up to the present time?
§ *MR. HERBERT SAMUELI am aware of that, and I think it very desirable that the Departmental Committee, so far as the terms of reference allow, should review the question.