§ Mr. LOUIS SMITHasked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the accumulation of accidents directly or indirectly due to motor traffic which have to be treated in the hospitals of the country, often to the exclusion of local patients, he will investigate the possibility of legislation aimed at permitting such hospitals to recover expenses as in the analogous case provided by Section 16 of the Local Government Act, 1929, or by some earmarked addition for the benefit of the hospitals to the statutory motor licence or driver's licence?
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§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONI am advised that Section 16 of the Local Government Act, 1929, applies to hospitals maintained by local authorities. I do not think that it would be practicable to apply similar provisions to other hospitals or to impose an additional statutory charge for drivers' licences with a view to dividing the proceeds among them.
§ Mr. POTTSasked the Minister of Transport for the six months' period during 1929, the registered number of motor cycles, motor cars, and other mechanically driven vehicles in the United Kingdom; and the number of road accidents, persons killed riding, respectively, motor cycles without pillion passengers, number with pillion passengers, motor cars, and other mechanically driven vehicles of every class separately specified as far as may be available?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONThe approximate number of licences for mechanically propelled vehicles current on 31st May, 1929, was 2,059,000. As regards accidents, the figures for the first six months of this year are not yet available.
§ Mr. LOVAT-FRASERasked the Minister of Transport how many fatal, and how many non-fatal, accidents have happened to persons riding pillion during the past five years?
§ Mr. CLYNESI have been asked to reply to this question. Figures are contained in the published Returns of street accidents caused by vehicles for 1927 and 1928. I am sending the hon. Member copies of these Returns. Corresponding figures are not available for previous years.