The Crown and Compensation
The statement by the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lo regarding the Government's responsibility for loss caused to civil through accidents in which Government vehicles are involved welcome. It is no undue disparagement of Army driving to obs that such cases have in recent years been numerous. Theoret the Crown can repudiate all responsibility, and Lord Cecil, raised the question, moved that in future it should be put in same position as any private employer. Objecting that this wa involve legislation which it would be inconvenient to initiate war-time, Lord Simon gave an undertaking which may be accep as covering the ground reasonably. Responsibility is in prac admitted if the driver involved was clearly on official duty at time of the accident. On the other hand, if a driver has taken an official vehicle for his private purposes the responsibility a tedly falls on him personally and no one else. Where difficulty an is in cases where there is doubt whether the purposes for which car is being used can properly be called official or not. The se department, as employer, ought not to be able to say the dean word regarding that. Lord Simon now offers a simple but sa factory procedure, the decision on this plain question of fact be referred to "an independent person of adequate legal attainments appointed by the Lord Chancellor. This should meet the completely.
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