HC Deb 24 November 1919 vol 121 cc1432-3
57 and 100. Mr. ROWLANDS

asked the Prime Minister (1) whether he is aware that the Select Committee on Death Certification, 1893, reported that they were much impressed with the serious possibilities implied in a system which permits death and burial to take place without the production of satisfactory medical evidence of the cause of death, and that the Departmental Committee on the Law relating to Coroners, in their Report of 1910, stated that the present law of death certification offers every opportunity for premature burial and every facility for the concealment of crime; that nothing has been done since the dates mentioned to remedy these evils; if he will bring in legislation to give effect to the recommendations of these Committees, arid to guard against the dangers to which they called attention;

(2) the Minister of Health what was the number of uncertified deaths in England and Wales for the five years 1914 to 1918, respectively; and what was the proportion per 100 of such uncertified deaths to the total number of deaths in England and Wales in each of these years?

The PAYMASTER-GENERAL (Sir Tudor Walters—for Dr. Addison)

As the reply is necessarily somewhat lengthy, I propose to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The following is the reply referred to:

The figures asked for are as follow:

Total deaths. Unncertified deaths. Proportion.
1914 516,742 6,279 1.22
1915 562.25;', 7,684 1.37
1916 508,217 7,528 1.48
1917 498.922 7,552 1.51
1918 611,861 8,244 1.37
Steps were taken in 1914 to reduce, so far as this object could be secured by administrative action, the dangers alluded to by requiring registrars to report all uncertified deaths to a coroner; so that all of the cases included in the above figures as "uncertified" have in fact been considered by a coroner, and either been made the subject of an inquest or been decided by the coroner not to need one. But, in my opinion, the present law of death certification needs reform, and the matter is receiving attention with a view to its being dealt with so far as possible in legislation as soon as possible.