asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the estimated output of eggs, on which subsidy will be paid, for the purpose of the Supplementary Estimate, dated 2nd February.

For the purpose of the Supplementary Estimate, dated 2nd February, it was estimated that subsidy would be paid on 693 million dozen eggs in the financial year ending 31st March, 1960.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the prices of fertilisers, with and without subsidies, expressed in terms of price per ton nutrient.

Following is the information in respect of typical nitrogenous, phosphatic and potassic fertilisers:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he proposes to introduce legislation to establish a Covent Garden Market Authority.

The Government have decided not to introduce legislation till later this year. The matter is complex and effects many interests, and although a Bill has been prepared, to introduce it at this stage of the Session would not give these interests sufficient time to consider its implications.

asked the Minister of Education how many temporary and occasional teachers, unqualified, giving the numbers for each group separately, were employed at the last convenient date in schools maintained by local education authorities; and what were the numbers a year before.

In February, 1960, there were 2,655 temporary teachers compared with 2.687 a year earlier. In March, 1959, the latest date for which figures are available, there were about 800 occasional teachers compared with 637 a year earlier.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the approximate cost to date of vaccination against poliomyelitis; and what he estimates is likely to be the further cost in 1960.

About £6 million has so far been spent on the purchase of poliomyelitis vaccine for England and Wales and the further cost of supplies for 1960 is estimated to be about £1·7 million. I regret that expenditure incurred by local health authorities cannot be separately calculated.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will open, for the benefit of residents of Mangotsfield and Downend, a depot there for the provision of, and service to, deaf aids for those in need thereof.

Having regard to the facilities already provided in Bristol, my right hon. and learned Friend shares the view of the regional hospital board that it would not be justifiable to use the limited available resources for expansion in this district.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that an oral vaccine against poliomyelitis has been developed in the Union of South Africa; and what are the prospects of its being available for use in Great Britain.

Yes. Decisions regarding the use in this country of oral poliomyelitis vaccine from any source must await the results of the Medical Research Council's trials to which I referred in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. W. Clark) on 15th February.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will fix a date for preliminary general discussions with the medical profession concerning the Report of the Royal Commission on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration

I am not yet ready to propose a date, but I have informed the profession that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I would wish to have such discussions as soon as the Government have completed their initial study of the Report.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the fact that a firm of National Health Service opticians in Kingston-upon-Thames, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Hull, East, has refused to dispense a prescription for spectacle lenses from an ophthalmologist, and that the firm only dispenses prescriptions prescribed by itself or its employees, what action he will take to ensure a full ophthalmic service from this firm.

My right hon. and learned Friend does not propose to take any action. Opticians practising in the service are free to accept or to refuse to accept any application to dispense an approved prescription.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the fact that a National Health Service optician in Stoke Newington, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Hull, East, who visited an invalid patient at home, stated that the spectacles she required would have to come from the United States of America, would take three months to arrive, and would cost £12, what action he will take to ensure that this optician offers home-bound patients the range of National Health Service spectacles, and alternative colours, available for £1 10s. 3d.

An optician is not required to visit patients in their homes but if he does so to provide supplementary ophthalmic services the normal terms of service would be applicable. The supply of glasses privately is outside my right hon. and learned Friend's jurisdiction.

asked the Minister of Health the number of National Health Service prescription forms O.S.C.2 approved in Hull, in 1959, for sight-tests for spectacles, for which no spectacles were dispensed; whether he will inquire into the reasons; and how many of these forms were submitted after the supply of new private spectacles, when no new National Health Service spectacles were required by the patient.

About 4,000 of the prescription forms O.S.C.2 approved in Hull in 1959 have not resulted in glasses being dispensed under the service. This is in line with experience in other parts of the country and my right hon. and learned Friend sees no occasion to inquire specially into the reasons. I regret that the information asked for in the last part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Minister for Science, if he will give the names of the sixteen collecting stations in Wales at which the content of strontium 90 in milk is examined every two weeks; and if he will indicate the figures obtained at the last test as compared with tests taken two years ago.

The areas from which the collecting stations draw their supplies, which is the relevant factor, are shown in the first Report published in July, 1959, by the Agricultural Research Council's Radiobiological Laboratory—" Strontium 90 in Human Diet in the United Kingdom 1958 ". The average levels of strontium 90 in milk for 1958 for Wales and for the other regions into which the country is divided, are given in that Report. The average levels for the twelve months ending June, 1959, will be published in

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the amounts spent on maintenance in the years 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, and what it is estimated will be spent in the current financial year, at the Manchester Ear Hospital, Withington Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital, Christie Hospital, Baguley Hospital, Duchess of York's Children's Hospital, Crumpsall Hospital, Ancoats Hospital, Northern Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, and St. Mary's Hospital, respectively.

The figures for expenditure on revenue account are as follows:the hon. Member for Swindon may have a reply to his letter of 5th February, about information from nationalised boards.

I regret not having sent a reply to the hon. Member's letter. I have now done so. I had assumed that his inquiry had been dealt with in my answer to his supplementary question raising the same points in the House on 25th February, as shown in column 582 of the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement about the proportion of licence revenue being made available to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Following representations by the B.B.C. the proportion of net licence revenue payable to the Corporation will be increased from the 92½ per cent. payable in the present financial year to 95 per cent in 1960–61; and to 100 per cent. in 1961–62.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals have been made to him for eliminating traffic holdups in Oxford Street.

Two main ideas have been common to many of the very large number of proposals made to me for improving traffic conditions in Oxford Street. These are either to include it in a one-way working system or to alter the traffic signalling arrangements. So far no practicable scheme for one-way working has been formulated but beneficial effects were obtained from a modernisation of the traffic signals in 1956. A study of this area will, of course, be part of the work of the London Traffic Management Unit.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many dwellings have been built in 1959 to accommodate overspill in new towns through schemes made under the Town Development Act, 1952, and through other arrangements such as would attract subsidy under Section 3 (2) (e) of the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1958, respectively.

5,536 dwellings were completed during 1959 in the London new towns, and 2,236 under schemes of town development. The Answer to the last part of the Question is, "None."

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will make a statement about the fourth Commonwealth Broadcasting Conference held in New Delhi, in view of its reference to the Overseas Services of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

I am informed that the recent Conference in Delhi was attended by representatives of the national broadcasting organisations of all independent Commonwealth countries—Ghana and Malaya being represented for the first time. It dealt mainly with questions relating to domestic broadcasting services. The Conference also considered various possible forms of co-operation in broadcasting in the Commonwealth sphere. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the statement issued by All-India Radio, which was the host and convener. This contains further details of the Conference proceedings.