asked the Minister of Aviation if he will give details of the number of aircraft diverted from Prestwick during 1963 because of fog or other reasons ; and on how many days this occurred.

On four separate days during 1963, 14 aircraft bound for Prestwick were diverted because of fog or other reasons.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representation he has received concerning the transfer of agricultural land to housebuilding purposes at Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent what advice has been offered by his land utilisation officer in this regard ; and what is the total acreage so transferred in principle out of agriculture in this area since January, 1962.

Responsibility for deciding planning applications rests with the local planning authorities. They are not required to consult my Ministry's Land Commissioner on applications for housing development unless the area to be taken out of agricultural use exceeds 5 acres. When consulted the Land Commissioner advises on whether the development would be contrary to established Government policy of conserving good agricultural land wherever possible. Since 1962 the Land Commissioner has been consulted on 2 such applications, covering a total of 122

asked the Minister of Health to what extent a general practitioner, who prescribes contraceptive tablets on a National Health Service prescription form and is called out late at night to a patient who has exhausted her supply, is in breach of his terms of service when he refuses to attend.

I cannot see how such a refusal could constitute a breach of a practioner's terms of service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the total number of convictions for drunkenness, and convictions for the age groups under 18 and between 18 and 21 years, in the Metropolitan Police district, and in the City of London, respectively, during the calendar year 1963.

The provisional figures for the year 1963 are as follows :

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what percentage of goods sold by retail is subject to resale price maintenance ; and what percentage of such sales is of goods in respect of which the Monopolies Commission has found that the arrangements in the industry concerned are not contrary to the public interest.

About 40 per cent. of consumer expenditure on goods is on price-maintained goods. In their investigations the Monopolies Commission have had no occasion to consider whether the practice of resale price maintenance as such in the industry concerned was contrary to the public interest. Their inquiries into this practice have been confined to the question of possible abuses of a monopoly situation. They have been conducted against the background that the practice itself was not contrary to the law and that legislation had specifically provided an additional means of legal enforcement. The second part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how many hearing-aids weer imported during the last 12-month period for which figures are available ; and what was their aggregate value.

Details of quantity are not available but, in the 12 months ended January 1964, the total value of imports of hearing aids, including parts, was £632,083.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he has considered the recommendation of the Molony Committee that soles of new shoes should be required to bear an indication, in accordance with a standard or prescribed glossary, of the material of which they are composed or at least a statement that they are leather, or not leather ; and whether he will take steps to give effect to this recommendation.

I am considering the recommendation of the Molony Committee that the Board of Trade should have general powers to require labelling of designated goods and to prescribe definitions binding in law of certain classes of trade terms. In the absence of such powers I cannot make regulations about the marking of the soles of new shoes.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he is aware of the persistent unemployment which prevails in Caithness and Sutherland despite the high rates of emigration and recruitment to the military, police and nursing services ; what action he will take to mitigate this unemployment ; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of the unemployment prevailing in Caithness and Sutherland. The long-term problem of the Highlands are at present being specially examined by the Scottish Development Group. I shall continue to make use of my powers under the Local Employment Acts to attract industry to these areas.

asked the Minister of Labour how many older redundant workers can be retrained in his Department's training schemes at the present time ; what consideration has been given to the need for more facilities as a long-term policy ; and what decisions have been taken in this respect.

Older redundant workers who are suitable for training are eligible for admission along with other suitable applicants to any of the 3,128 training places at Government training centres and for training under schemes sponsored by my Ministry at technical colleges, commercial colleges and certain employers' establishments. Under the present programme the training places in Government training centres are being increased to about 5,700. The position is kept under continuous review so that further adjustments may be made if these are justified.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the capacity of his Department's training schemes for training young people ; how the present facilities compare with the provisions available in 1951 ; and in what way it is planned to increase the places in the near future.

There are 552 places for first year apprentice training in Government training centres which should be increased to 852 by the end of the year. There were none in 1951.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people have been assisted under the Resettlement Transfer Scheme since 1st January, 1959, giving details of the various ways in which help has been given and the total cost to his Department ; and in how many cases lodging allowance has been paid.

During the period 1959 to 1963, 9,574 workers with dependants received lodging allowances under the Resettlement Transfer Scheme. In addition, a small number of men without dependants received free fares only under the Scheme though precise figures are not available.The principal facilities provided were :

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons have been assisted under the Temporary Transfer Scheme since 1st January, 1959, up to the latest convenient date, giving separately the figures for lodging allowances and for free passes, and giving the total cost to his Department.

During the period 1959 to September, 1962, when the Temporary Transfer Scheme was wound up on the extension of the Resettlement Transfer Scheme to apply to the whole country, 1,732 persons received lodging allowances under the scheme. There are no separate figures available of the number who received free fares. The estimated cost of the scheme during the period was about £66,000.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in respect of the quota restrictions on the showing of foreign material on television programmes, he will take steps to exempt educational programme material of foreign origin from counting against the quota.

I take it that the hon. Member has in mind the broadcasting authorities' duty to ensure that proper proportions of the material they broadcast is of British origin. These proportions are not specified but are left to the discretion of the authorities, who, within the overall requirement, are free to treat different classes of material differently.

asked the Postmaster-General if any changes are to be made in the portal addresses of boroughs at present in Middlesex and other counties which are being transferred administratively to Greater London in May, 1965.

Postal and local government boundaries do not necessarily coincide. Changes in the latter do not therefore in themselves call for alterations in postal addresses, and we do not at present have any plans for making such changes in the areas my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the annual General Post Office expenditure on research and development within its own establishment ; and what is the annual income from royalties accruing from these activities and from the bulk supplying contractors in particular.

In 1962–63 expenditure was about £4½ million and income from royalties was about £340,000. The pooling arrangements between the Post Office and the contractors under the bulk supply agreements do not provide for royalty payments from either side to the other.

asked the Postmaster-General how frequently his Department carries out cost investigations under the bulk supply agreements.

A cost investigation is normally carried out for each new agreement. The agreements are usually for a period of 5 years.

asked the Postmaster-General how many cost investigators are employed by the General Post Office to investigate prices paid under the bulk supply agreements ; how many of these are qualified accountants ; and how many have had industrial experience apart from their General Post Office employment.

A staff of 29 accountants, all of whom are professionally qualified, and 31 technical costs officers are employed to carry out cost investigations, including those made under the bulk supply agreements. About half of these have had industrial experience.

asked the Postmaster-General when his Department carried out the last cost investigation under the exchange agreement and the Subscribers Apparatus Agreement.

Cost investigations under both agreements are in progress at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the estimated cost per household of piped water supply from the most suitable and convenient source for Minish and Blashval in North Uist, for Vatersay, in Barra and for South Lochboisdale, in South Uist, respectively ; and the estimated likely cost of supply per house under the Storr Loch scheme in Skye.

I am making inquiries to see how far the information is available and will let the hon. Member know the result as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many doctors were employed whole-time in the junior medical grades of registrar and below in the hospital service in Scotland on 30th September, 1963 ; how many of these were born outside Great Britain ; if he will classify his information by grade, speciality and region to enable direct comparison to be made with the figures for 31st March, 1960 and 30th September, 1961 published by him on 25th January, 1963 ; if he is aware that regular collection and publication of this information was recommended by the Joint Working Party on Medical Staffing in the Hospital Service ; and whether he will ensure that this will be done.

Statistics relating to 30th September, 1963, are now being collected and will be sent to the hon. Member as soon as possible. I am aware of the Working Party's recommendation and I am considering the question of publication.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will review Section 41(b) of the Public Service Vehicles (Licences and Certificates) Regulations, 1952, whereby, unless otherwise prescribed, only 14 days' notification is given by a licensing authority as to the date and place in respect of applications for omnibus services will be heard, bearing in mind the difficulties of rural district councils who cannot consult parish councils whose meetings are relatively infrequent.

Not on present evidence. Fourteen days is normally the minimum period of notice of hearings, and the applications themselves are normally published somewhat in advance of the notice of hearing. I have had no recent representations to suggest that the arrangements call for review.

asked the Minister of Education (1) what action he is taking to increase the availability in the schools of this country of educational television programmes from overseas ;(2) what action he is taking through the United Kingdom delegates to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, or otherwise, to draw attention to the obstacles to the freer international exchange of educational television programmes and to propose action to remove them ;(3) if he will formulate proposals through the United Kingdom delegates to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to facilitate the flow of educational television material from developed to developing countries by special arrangements regarding copyright and performing fees ;(4) if he will consult the producers of educational films in the United Kingdom, both for television and for direct showing in the schools, with a view to establishing a scheme to make these freely available to educational television systems in the developing countries ;(5) if he will propose through the United Kingdom delegates to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, or otherwise, the establishment of an international index of educational films, magnetic tapes, and similar programme material suitable for use in educational television.

These questions raise a number of complex issues on which up to now my right hon. Friend has received no representations. Other Departments are affected and if action were to be taken, whether through U.N.E.S.C.O. or otherwise, my right hon. Friend should need to consider the whole position fully with his Ministerial colleagues concerned.

asked the Minister of Education which countries have signed the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation agreement of 22nd November, 1950, under which duty is not paid on cultural, educational and scientific materials exchanged between the signatories ; and whether this applies to educational films imported either for use in schools or for transmission on educational television programmes.

The agreement applies to educational films imported for non-commercial purposes and by the beginning of February, 1964, the following member States had deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance, or declarations of application :

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what response he has had from water undertakings to his Circular No. 64/62 requesting them so to adjust their rate poundages in the light of the 1963 revaluation for rating that their income from water rates should not be substantially increased ; whether he will now take steps to revise the method of levying water rates ; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no reason to think that water undertakers have disregarded the requests in the circular that they should, as far as practicable, adjust their rate poundages so as to do no more than maintain their income from water rates, and that, where an increase in income was necessary, it should be kept to a minimum. The Water Charges Sub-Committee of the Central Advisory Water Committee has recommended, among other things, that the present method of levying water rates should be retained but with certain modifications. Their Report is under consideration and my right hon. Friend will make a statement on it as soon as he can.