§ 39. Mr. J. Griffithsasked the Secretary for Mines upon whose instructions His Majesty's inspectors in the Swansea division have ceased to attend at the inquests held to inquire into the death of miners caused by silicosis, in view of Section 84 of the Coal Mines Act, 1911; and whether, as in the 12 months ended 31st December, 1936, 39 anthracite miners were certified by the Silicosis Medical Board to have died of the disease, His Majesty's inspectors will attend such inquests so as to be informed of the facts in these cases, and thus be in a better position to advise as to the steps necessary to prevent these deaths from silicosis?
§ Captain CrookshankHis Majesty's inspectors make full inquiries into all cases of deaths of miners alleged to be due to silicosis, in order to study the causes and give advice on appropriate preventive measures. But experience has shown that the present methods of inquiry are more effective for these purposes than the attendance of inspectors at inquests, and I do not propose to revert to that arrangement, which ceased in August, 1935, on my instructions. I should add that Section 84 of the Coal Mines Act, 1911, relates to accidents, and not to industrial diseases.
§ Mr. GriffithsDoes not a case of death from a notifiable industrial disease become 210 a case of accident when it has been notified; does not the hon. and gallant Gentleman realise that the fact that inspectors have ceased to attend these inquests is taken by the men as an utter disregard by his Department of this very grave problem; and will he not, if only to satisfy the men themselves, who are gravely perturbed by this problem, which is one of the gravest problems in the industry, reverse his decision and ask the inspectors to attend?
§ Captain CrookshankI hope the hon. Member will disabuse anyone with whom he is in contact about that matter. My considered opinion is that this is the best method of getting all the necessary information, and I am not, therefore, prepared to alter the arrangement which has been come to so recently. The hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that we feel great anxiety about silicosis, and will continue to do all that we can to deal with the problem.
§ Mr. GriffithsMay I ask what are these other methods that are being employed? The hon. and gallant Gentleman has said that the inspectors have ceased to attend inquests; might we be told what the methods are?
§ Captain CrookshankThe chief medical inspector is in touch with the doctors in the various cases, and can get just as much if not more information than would be obtained by the personal attendance of an inspector at the inquest.