§ 4. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest figures available for the number of accidents in the home; if he will publish a breakdown of these in the OFFICIAL REPORT; how many local 1593 authorities have notified him that they have home safety committees and how many full- or part-time home safety officers; and if he will take steps to make the provision of home safety committees obligatory.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Merlyn Rees)In 1967, 5,839 persons died as a result of accidents in the home in England and Wales and 1,090 in residential establishments: I will, with permission, circulate details in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I understand that there are about 340 home safety committees, but I have no information about the number of staff employed on home safety. The promotion of home safety, whether by means of committees or in other ways, is within the discretion of the local authority concerned; I see no justification for making home safety committees compulsory.
§ Mr. RobertsDoes not my hon. Friend feel, in view of the terrible number of casualties in the home, that the present situation is completely unsatisfactory?
| ACCIDENTS IN THE HOME AND RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTIONS, DEATH BY CAUSE AND AGE GROUP, ENGLAND AND WALES, 1967 | ||||||||||||
| All ages | 0–14 | 15–64 | 65 and over | |||||||||
| Home | Residential Institution | Home | Residential Institution | Home | Residential Institution | Home | Residential Institution | |||||
| Accidental poisoning by solid and liquid substances | … | 653 | 12 | 21 | — | 483 | 9 | 149 | 3 | |||
| Accidental poisoning by gases | 642 | — | 21 | — | 196 | — | 425 | — | ||||
| Falls | … | … | … | … | 2,959 | 931 | 74 | 1 | 317 | 51 | 2,568 | 879 |
| Electrocution | … | … | … | 59 | 1 | 17 | — | 33 | 1 | 9 | — | |
| Burns | … | … | … | … | 608 | 20 | 139 | — | 143 | 6 | 326 | 14 |
| Scalds | … | … | … | … | 56 | 4 | 12 | — | 5 | 1 | 39 | 3 |
| Inhalation and ingestion of food | … | … | … | … | 307 | 69 | 225 | 5 | 56 | 41 | 26 | 23 |
| Suffocation in bed or cradle | … | 148 | 2 | 146 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | |||
| Drowning and submersion | … | 65 | 5 | 21 | — | 24 | 4 | 20 | 1 | |||
| Other accidents | … | … | 342 | 46 | 129 | 4 | 134 | 17 | 79 | 25 | ||
| TOTALS: | … | … | 5,839 | 1,090 | 805 | 12 | 1,392 | 130 | 3,642 | 948 |