The following Notice of Motion stood upon the Order Paper:

Address for Return showing, by police district, the number of persons dealt with for motoring offences, together with the number of the various offences and the results of proceedings in courts of summary jurisdiction, during the period July to December, 1928.—[Sir V. Henderson.]

I should like to ask whether there are going to be any details in this Return showing the number of cases in which proceedings against accused drivers have been dropped?

The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Lieut.-Colonel Sir Vivian Henderson):

Not details of what happened in every case—where proceedings have been carried through and where they have not.

I understand some reasons will be given why proceedings against motor drivers for accidents in which fatalities and accidents take place will be in the Return?

Not detailed information as to why proceedings have not been taken, but simple information as to whether proceedings have been dropped or not. It would be quite impossible to prepare a Return on those lines. It would be a volume running into six or seven books.

I am sorry if I have not made my point clear. I do not mean details in every case, but will some classification be made in those cases where proceedings are dropped, showing the reasons why certain of those cases have been dropped. There is quite a lot of unrest in the country owing to the large number of accidents reported, in Scotland to the Sheriffs-fiscal, and in England to the various courts, in which no proceedings are taken. People think the police are at fault, whereas as a matter of fact it is the courts.

This Return does not deal with Scotland. The Secretary of State for Scotland is his own Home Secretary.

I gave as an illustration the Sheriffs-fiscal in Scotland but I added "in England the courts." I take exception to it if I am not going to get any satisfaction.

I think the hon. Member had better wait until he sees the Return.

I am not going to wait until I see the Return. I want to know what is going to be in it before it is published. I want to know what is intended to be put in it.

If the hon. Member will come to my office, I will show him a draft copy.

Meantime I object.

Consideration deferred until Tomorrow.