§ Major GLYNasked the Home Secretary whether in view of the increase in the number of deaths and injuries sustained to passengers from accidents due to licensed passenger-carrying motor vehicles, and that there at present exists no means whereby the daily, monthly, and annual number of such accidents and their causes can be considered by the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Health, or any other Government Department, he will impose the duty on all county and borough police authorities of 2008W submitting from their districts statistics similar to those sent to the Home Office in regard to street and other accidents with the Metropolitan Police area?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThere are at present a variety of returns on the subject of street accidents—
- (a) A monthly return for the Metropolitan police district submitted by the Commissioner.
- (b) A quarterly return for the City of London submitted by the City Commissioner.
- (c) The annual return for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, prepared by the Home Office from information supplied by chief constables and presented to Parliament.
- (d) The Registrar-General's annual return based on the. information of certificates of death supplied by coroners under Sections 16 and 20 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1874.
- (e) The annual statement (based on information obtained by Ministry of Transport officers at road accident inquiries) published by the Ministry of Transport with their Road Fund Report.
I am afraid that in addition to the above I could not press for daily or weekly returns, and any proposal for even a monthly return would add very considerable extra work to my Department which without additional staff could not be undertaken.
I would point out that the annual return made to Parliament contains considerable information on the subject of street accidents caused by vehicles, and I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of this return.