HC Deb 24 June 1930 vol 240 cc951-2
41. Mr. T. WILLIAMS

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the inquiry into the cause of the Wath Main disaster has now been concluded; and, if so, whether a verbatim report of the evidence will be published?

Mr. WILLIAM WHITELEY (Lord of the Treasury)

I have been asked to reply to this question. The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, it is not the practice in inquiries of this nature to publish a verbatim report of the proceedings, owing to the expense which such a course would involve. It was open to the interested parties, however, to obtain copies of the Minutes of Evidence on application to the Mines Department at the time of the inquiry, and a number of such copies were in fact supplied in response to applications.

Mr. WILLIAMS

Will the hon. Member represent to the Secretary for Mines that any Member of the House, if he desires, should be able to get a copy of the evidence?

Mr. WHITELEY

In view of the latter part of the reply my hon. Friend will take that matter into consideration.