New Clause 5 - Coroner's courts
Courts Bill [Lords]
11:00 am
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
I do not want to repeat what the hon. Gentleman has said; I agree with it. However, I wish to make one point, and I would be grateful if the Minister took account of it. He may not be aware that, for a year or so, I have been heavily involved in trying to introduce new measures against drug drivers, as opposed to drunk drivers. I was pleased that, last week, the Government accepted a group of amendments, based on the ten-minute Bill that I introduced almost a year ago, to the Railways and
Transport Safety Bill in another place, where my noble Friend Lord Dixon-Smith has been pursuing the matter. Late last Thursday, the Government accepted the substance of my Bill to provide fitness impairment tests at the roadside, so I did not need to move that it be read a Second time on Friday.
The second part of my original Bill sought to provide extra facilities for coroners to enable them to collect data on the number of deaths resulting from road accidents caused or contributed to by people under the influence of drugs. Having written to every coroner in the UK, I now know that they do not have the resources or the time to collect that data. The part of my Bill that the Government have not taken on board concerns the need to provide coroners with those facilities.
The Transport and Road Research Laboratory at Crowthorne stated in evidence, which my researchers and I were able to obtain, that it needs the statistics, so that it can report the extent of the problem to the Government. Only coroners and police forces can provide much of that information. Police forces are not relevant to the new clause, but I simply ask the Minister whether he will, when looking at the voluminous report and when considering the matters that the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome raised, also look into the fact that the coroners want to provide the information, but do not have the resources or time to do so. If they were able to provide the data, the Government would have a better handle on the scale of the problem, which anecdotal evidence suggests and senior police traffic officers believe is worsening.
The Government have gone half way in giving police forces the powers I want them to have to carry out roadside fitness impairment tests, but the coroners need to have the necessary facilities. I should be grateful if the Minister took that on board as part of the further and continuing review, as well the important matters raised by the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome, with which I agree.