§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available the reports of post-mortems carried out for the Home Office, where death was caused, or materially accelerated by, the prescribed disease silicosis in accordance with the Workmen's Compensation (Silicosis) Act 1918, and the resultant Refractories Industries (Silicosis) Scheme.
76W
§ Mr. Peter LloydCoroners, who are independent judicial officers, have a duty to inquire into a death where there is reason to suspect that this is caused by a prescribed industrial disease and they have power to arrange a post-mortem examination. Under the Coroners' Rules a coroner is required, on payment of a prescribed fee, to supply a copy of a post-mortem report to a properly interested person and this will normally include the spouse. In cases where death is believed to be due to a prescribed industrial disease, the Home Secretary has issued guidance to coroners recommending that copies of the post-mortem reports should be made available to Medical Boarding Centres (Respiratory Diseases) to assist in the consideration of claims for industrial death benefit. But the coroner has no authority to make post-mortem reports generally available.