§ Mr. John BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement as to the steps he is taking both to investigate and to curb the number of movement accidents, involving 19 deaths, arising from intermittent faults on slam-shut doors on British Rail passenger coaches.
§ Mr. FreemanI greatly regret the 19 deaths which occurred in 1990—the same number as in the previous two years—due to passengers falling from trains, but there is no direct evidence that faulty doors were responsible. We are concerned to find out the cause of the accidents. With the agreement of my right hon. and learned Friend, the Health and Safety Commission has asked the Health and Safety Executive to undertake an independent investigation into the pattern of falls from trains, and to see whether, or the extent to which, they could be attributable to the design of the doors or locks. The investigation will be led by Her Majesty's railway inspectorate.