asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been called to the accidents involving loss of life and serious injury which have recently occurred at the New Lount Colliery of the Leicestershire Colliery and Pipe Company, Limited; has he made any investigation into this matter; and is he satisfied that reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent these accidents?

I assume that the hon. Member refers to the New Lount Colliery, Newbold. During the past 10 months, five accidents involving three deaths and injuries to three persons have been reported from this colliery. Each of these accidents has been investigated, and there is nothing to indicate that any of them was due to negligence on the part of the management. In so far as the accidents appear to have been avoidable, precautions have been taken to prevent recurrence.