§ Sir I. Fraserasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that an accident occurred at Lowick, in Lancashire, on 21st March, 1943, due to the explosion of war material, which caused the death of two, and the wounding of four, young persons; what steps he has taken to deal with compensation questions expeditiously and generously; and will he give an assurance to the House that instructions impressing upon the military the need for great care not to leave live ammunition about have been given?
§ Sir J. GriggI should like to take this opportunity to express my sympathy with the relatives of the victims of this unfortunate accident. Compensation will be paid as soon as agreement has been reached on the amount in each case and as soon as the approval of the court has been obtained in the cases in which the claimants are under 21. The War Office is, however, quite prepared to make payments on account if this is necessary. Instructions were issued in April about the precautions to be taken with live ammunition and the number of these accidents should become less frequent.