§ Mr. Jegerasked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether Sapper Brian Brown, Royal Engineers, who recently died in Malaya when a tractor he was driving overturned, was a qualified tractor driver; and whether he will call for a full inquiry into this fatality;
(2) in view of the death of Sapper Brian Brown, Royal Engineers, who was killed while operating earth-moving equipment in Malaya on Monday, 1st July last, if he is satisfied that the soldier was fully skilled in the handling of such machinery; and if he will hold an inquiry into the fatality.
§ Mr. GodberI would like to express my sympathy with the relatives of Sapper Brown. A board of inquiry is being held to investigate his death. Amongst other things it will consider whether Sapper Brown should have been operating the machinery which he was using when he died. I cannot anticipate the findings of the board, but I will write to the hon. Gentleman when the inquiry is complete.