§ Mr. CLYNESasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he had any record of the number of injuries and deaths due to accidents arising from persons falling from trains in motion; whether he could state the number of the accidents in the past five years believed to be due to the appliances so far used for locking and unlocking railway carriage doors; and whether his Department could take any steps to secure the adoption by railway companies of improved locks and appliances which the Board consider would tend to prevent accidents of this nature?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. Buxton)Figures showing the number of passengers killed or injured by falling out of carriages during the running of trains are given in Table No. 3 of the Annual Returns of Railway Accidents and Casualties issued by the Board of Trade, but it is impossible to state how many of such accidents were due to the appliances for closing and opening the carriage doors. As I informed the hon. and gallant Member for Southport, in reply to a question put by him on 25th April last, these accidents are being carefully watched, but the Board of Trade would hesitate to recommend the adoption of any arrangement which might make it difficult or impossible for passengers to leave the train in an emergency.