HL Deb 10 April 2001 vol 624 cc76-7WA
Earl Attlee

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the number of people electrocuted on the United Kingdom railway system compares to the total number of people killed on the railways for the last 12-month period for which figures are available. [HLI506]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston

The information requested is shown in the table below. The period covered is the 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000.

Category Total Fatalities fatalities due to Electrocution
Passengers 47 0
Railway Staff 5 0
Other Members of the Public 13 0
Adult Trespassers and Suicides 268 13
Child Trespassers and Suicides 6 3
Total 339 16

Further details can be found in the Chief Inspector of Railways Annual Report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain during 1999–2000. Appendix 8 of the report gives a further breakdown of fatalities and injuries to trespassers due to electrocution. Copies are available in the House Library.