asked the Minister of Health if he will give the breakdown figures of the cost of the services paid for by the National Health Service in the year ended 31st March, 1960, to the nearest £10,000 under the following heads: hospital and specialist, general medical, general dental, supplementary ophthalmic, local health authority, other headings—doctors' compensation, central supplies, etc.; and with respect to pharmaceutical services under the following heads: dispensing fees and payments to chemists, allowance to chemists for containers, chemists' overheads and profits, purchase tax, wholesalers' margins, appliances and dressings, payments to dispensing doctors, unbranded standard drugs, and ethical proprietary drugs; and if he will also give the separate figure for the cost of drugs to hospitals included in the hospital and specialist heading above.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health if he will list the various methods employed by his Department at the ports of entry into the United Kingdom to check the inflow of foreigners, and other persons normally resident overseas, who come to Great Britain specifically to obtain free medical treatment under the National Health Service.

The immigration authorities refuse permission to land to aliens who come with this object. Aliens admitted for private medical treatment are reported and followed up where necessary, as also are doubtful cases, where the alien is given landing permission for only a short period. Hospital authorities have instructions to ensure as far as practicable that nonresidents pay for treatment except in emergency.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will show in tabular form the percentage increase in time rates received in wages since July, 1914, up to the latest available date and the percentage increase in time rates since July, 1939, respectively, in the engineering industry for patternmakers, fitters and labourers, in the building industry for bricklayers, joiners and labourers, in railway service for the various grades,

The following statement shows the minimum or standard time rates of wages for the designated occupations at February, 1961, expressed as a percentage of the level of the rates at July, 1914 = 100 and July, 1939 = 100. Owing to the complicated wages structure in coalmining at the earlier dates it is not possible to give similar information for that 3 industry.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how much rent was paid to the Foreign Office by the Great Britain-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Association in respect of the Anglo-Soviet Conference held recently at Wiston House, Steyning, Sussex.

The Association paid two guineas per head per day for the board and lodging of those taking part in the conference.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how much has been paid by the British Council and Foreign Office to, subsidise the Great. Britain-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Association since the setting up of the Association.

Since its foundation in 1959 the Association has received £19,800 from public funds through the British Council. It has received no direct payment from the Foreign Office.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what has been the total cost to date of the Foreign Office establishment at Wiston House, Steyning, Sussex, since it commenced; and how much of this sum represents rent.

Since December, 1950, when the Wilton Park Conference Centre moved to Wiston House the total net cost has been £270,000. Approximately £16,000 of this sum represented payments to the lessor of rent and maintenance charges for the upkeep of furniture and the grounds.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to produce uniformity of schemes of work and of final examinations for national certificates in Scottish centres of technical education.

I proposed last year to the bodies concerned that the regional co-ordinating committees which draw up schemes for national certificate courses should prepare the examination papers on a regional basis for at least the final year of the courses. This proposal has been accepted by all concerned, and will be incorporated in revised rules which will be issued in the next few months. I am also consulting the interests concerned about the establishment of a national co-ordinating committee in place of the existing regional committees.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to encourage more Scottish teachers to take advantage of the interchange schemes operating with the Commonwealth and with the United States of America.

To supplement the leaflets and other publicity provided by the League of the British Commonwealth and Empire and by the British Committee for the Interchange of Teachers, who are responsible for arranging the exchanges, I have asked education authorities and other school managers to draw the attention of teachers to the opportunities which exist for post-to-post exchanges and have urged them, despite their present staffing difficulties, to encourage and sponsor suitable candidates. Moreover, teachers going on exchange to posts in the Southern Hemisphere will again receive the travel grants introduced last year. These, like the cost of living grants given to teachers going on exchange to Canada and the United States of America, should materially increase the attractions of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which education authorities refuse to recruit married women to their permanent staffs; and what steps he is taking to end this practice.

Banff, Caithness, East Lothian, Inverness, Ross and Cromarty and Sutherland. The appointment of teachers is by statute a function of the education authority concerned and I have no power to intervene, but authorities are well aware of my views that it is desirable in the national interest for authorities to do everything possible to encourage married women to return to service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he is giving to the introduction of an advanced grade in the Scottish Certificate of Education.

I am examining the implications of the proposals of the Advisory Council on Education in Scotland about this and related matters in the light of the views I have received from the Universities and from the teachers' and other educational associations concerned. I shall make a statement as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Minister of Transport what requests he has lately received from the Chairman of the London Transport Executive for a decision to start the Victoria underground line.

None. I am, of course, aware of the desire of the British Transport Commission to proceed with the project.

asked the Minister of Transport what reports he has received from the Chairman of the London Transport Executive about the experimental tunnel between Finsbury Park and Seven Sisters; and whether he will make a statement on the discussions now taking place about the proposed Victoria line.

I am informed by the British Transport Commission that experiments with new methods of tunnel construction are in progress between Finsbury Park and Seven Sisters and are showing valuable results.I am not yet in a position to make a statement on the discussions about the proposed Victoria Line.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the undertaking given to the House in 1920 that ex-Service men of the first war shall be given preferential treatment and retained as civil servants in the case of redundancy is still being adhered to.

Where there is redundancy among temporary non-industrial civil servants preference in retention continues to be given to ex-Service men of the 1914–18 war: there is in practice, however, no distinction in case of retirement by reason of age.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total number of persons of 65 years of age and over employed by the Treasury, the Inland Revenue Commission, the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Education, and the Foreign Office, together with the number of such officials employed by subordinate organisations of these Departments.

The approximate figures at the latest date for which they are available are as follows: