asked the Minister of Transport what decision has been reached on the urgent question of the relaxation of lighting restrictions in railway shunting yards and signal boxes?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 18th October to my hon. Friend the Member for Abingdon (Sir R. Glyn) on the subject of lighting in shunting yards. With regard to the lighting of signal boxes, no specific cases of difficulty had been brought to my notice until I received the hon. Member's letter yesterday. I am having inquiries made immediately into all the cases he has cited.

While thanking the Minister for his reply, may I ask, in view of the fact that he has had the question before him some time and of the fact that accidents, fatal and otherwise, are increasing in shunting yards and that the strain on the men in signal boxes is considerably increased, whether he can do something to expedite the inquiry?

We are expediting it by every means we can. Nobody is keener than I am that the extra strain on all classes of railway employés should be relieved as soon as and as much as possible. I am sure that the hon. Member will be the first to recognise that there are important considerations to take into account before making alterations in the black-out.

Now we have an assurance that the inquiry is being expedited, can we have an assurance that the decision will be expedited?

As much as possible.