MOTOR VEHICLES INSURANCE. (Hansard, 21 November 1928)

§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNE

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make it obligatory upon owners of motor vehicles to be insured against third-party risks. This is a small Bill which was introduced last year, and unanimously received a First Reading; and I hope that it will be possible to get a little more progress with it this year. There is no real 1733 opposition to it, so far as I know, in the House, but I realise that there is a difficulty, inasmuch as the Minister of Transport contemplates introducing a similar Measure within the purview of a Bill which he hopes to introduce, or which he hopes his successor will introduce, at some future time. The matter, however, is too urgent to wait for that, and I think that the House generally feels that it is desirable that this matter of the constant damage which is being done by motor vehicles, without the possibility of injured people receiving any compensation, should be dealt with without delay. Since the Bill of last year was introduced, a large number of public bodies have supported this Measure, including the County Councils Association, the National Farmers' Union, and the Association of British Chambers of Commerce; while the Association of Municipal Corporations, through one of their committees, have reported in favour of it. Many of the hospitals, too, are urging that a Measure of this kind should be passed.

I shall propose only two Amendments for the present Bill, as against the Bill which I introduced last year. One is that the insurance companies' form of policy should be approved by the Minister of Transport, instead of by the licensing authorities. Secondly, that the right of the third party to be paid by the insurance company should be put in as against the present system, under which those who receive damage in these accidents only have a claim at Common Law. In every other respect the Bill will follow the lines of that which I introduced last year, and I sincerely hope that the House, which gave it a unanimous First Reading on that occasion, will be so good as to give it an equal acceptance to-day. If there be, as I believe there may be, one or two Members of the House who would like to see the details of this Bill discussed, I would ask them to allow it to go upstairs to Committee as soon as possible, so that we may go into the details there, as it is impossible to make progress if it be obstructed merely with respect to some points of detail which can better be dealt with in Committee.