asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce proposals for compensating the estates of persons killed as passengers in road vehicles prior to December 1972 when the insurance of passenger risks became compulsory.

There was no provision for retrospection in the legislation, which came into operation on 1st December 1972; and I regret that I see no possibility for requiring it now.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatal accidents occurred to passengers in motor vehicles for any convenient period before December 1972 when the legislation was introduced making the insurance of passenger risk compulsory; and how this compares with the figures since 1972.

The information is as follows:

Passengers killed in motor vehicles: 1971 to 1976: Great Britain.