DEATH CERTIFICATION. (Hansard, 17 July 1900)

LORD MONKSWELL
My Lords, I rise to call attention to the Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons in 1893 on Death Certification, stating that "the existing procedure plays into the hands of the criminal classes"; and to ask whether the Government propose to introduce legislation in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee. I do not propose to go further back into the history of this matter than 6th January, 1893, when Mr. Asquith, who was then Home Secretary, received a deputation consisting of, amongst others, the eminent surgeon, Sir Henry Thompson, who made a speech in which he showed that the state of the law with regard to death certification was extremely inefficient, and, indeed, dangerous to the public safety. He showed that a large number of burials took place without any death certificate being produced at all; that in Edinburgh, for instance, as many as 8 per cent. of the burials were uncertificated; that in the remoter parts of Scotland between 25 and 45 per cent. of burials were of persons whose deaths had not been certified; and that in a great many cases the certificates when produced were absolutely valueless, as they were either given by incompetent persons or by competent persons on insufficient information. Mr. Asquith was very much impressed with the statement of Sir Henry Thompson, and he formed a Select Committee of the House of Commons to take the matter into consideration. Sir Walter Foster, who was then Secretary to the Local Government Board, was in the chair, and the Committee, in the course of their Report, used the words which I have put into my motion. They said that— The existing procedure plays into the hands of the criminal classes. They also said— The Committee are much impressed with the serious possibilities implied in a system which permits death and burial to take place 210 without the production of satisfactory evidence of the cause of death. … Your Committee are convinced that vastly more deaths occur annually from foul play and criminal neglect than the law recognises. In 1896, Sir Richard Quain, as President of the General Medical Council, had a correspondence on the subject with the Registrar General, but all he could get out of him was an acknowledgment that the law was in an exceedingly bad state. Nothing could be done at that time. In May, 1899, the General Medical Council again took the matter up, and the following resolution was passed— That the President be authorised to forward to the Registrar General the whole of the correspondence that has passed on the subject of death certification, and to make further representations to the Registrar General as to the importance and urgency of the question. Since my notice has been on the Paper I have had a letter from the master of the workhouse of. St. Olave's Union, Bermondsey, stating that he is exceedingly dissatisfied with the present state of the law. I do not think the remedy that ought to be applied is far to seek. There is another part of the Report of the Committee that I ought to read as bearing upon the remedy. With regard to the practice of cremation the Committee say— Your Committee are of opinion that with the precautions adopted in connection with cremation as carried out by the Cremation Society, there is little probability that cases of crime would escape detection. The question I should like to ask the Local Government Board is this: Why should the law efficiently protect only members of the Cremation Society? Mr. Asquith considered that the time was ripe for legislation, and in 1895, before he quitted office, he had, I understand, given some consideration to the preparation of a Bill on this matter. I do not, of course, suggest that Her Majesty's Government should introduce legislation this session; but I understand that the usual way in which Ministers spend their vacation is in considering legislation that they wish to bring forward in the following session. I have no reason to suppose that on this occasion Ministers will not comply with that time-honoured custom, and I hope that while they are giving the question of legislation their best consideration they will also consider the question of efficient death certificates worthy of their attention.

LORD HARRIS
My Lords, I am not prepared to say how the President of the Local Government Board intends to spend the next vacation, nor, indeed, am I in a position to say how he has spent past vacations. But I can assure the noble Lord that this matter, which undoubtedly is a very important one, has engaged Mr. Chaplin's attention for some time with a view to bringing in a Bill. There are, however, a good many difficulties connected with it, and he is at present having inquiry made by the officers of the Local Government Board with a view to getting over those difficulties which have presented themselves at different times to those who were anxious to legislate on the subject. He is in hopes that at no very distant date he will see a way of overcoming those difficulties, and be able to introduce a Bill on the lines suggested by the noble Lord.

LORD MONKSWELL
I should have been glad if the noble Lord had specified the difficulties which he says stand in the way of legislation on this question. I cannot understand how there can be any difficulties.