§ Mr. JOHN WARDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention had been called to the evidence in the inquiry as to the death by accident of W. J. Kinsella at the dock works, Rosyth, where it was stated that he was employed upon work which required experienced men and could not be performed by boys, and that the deceased had no previous experience of works of the nature he was employed to perform; and whether, under these circumstances, he would take such action as to secure that the contractor shall only employ competent workmen, in accordance with the terms of the contract?
§ Mr. McKENNAI have received a report of the proceedings on the fatal accident inquiry in question, showing that a formal verdict only was returned. I beg to refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on this subject on the 25th April last. The further information I have before me does not appear to necessitate the action suggested in the question.
§ Mr. J. WARDDid not the right hon. Gentleman on the last occasion state this was the work of a boy and since that have not his officials stated it was the work of a man?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe only evidence given at the inquiry on that point was in the nature of a question put to me of the witnesses which suggested that the work was not work that should be done by a boy.
§ Mr. JOHN WARDasked the Lord Advocate whether the Dunfermline local authority are contemplating any immediate action to compel either the Admiralty or the contractors to construct decent house accommodation for the families of the men employed upon the new dock works at Rosyth?
§ The LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. Ure)The local health authority for Rosyth at present is the district committee of the Dunfermline district of the county of Fife, and I am informed that that body has not received representations from its own sanitary officers or from the contractors or workmen engaged at Rosyth as to want of housing accommodation. So far as I am aware no action of the kind suggested by my hon. Friend is at present in contemplation by the local authority, but I understand that they are giving the matter further attention. The Local Government Board for Scotland has intimated to the local authority at Inverkeithing, which one of their officers has recently visited, that the conditions there are unsatisfactory, and has ordered a further inquiry into the whole question.