asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has received for building a new power station on the West Coast of Scotland for the South of Scotland Electricity Board.

The South of Scotland Electricity Board has applied for my consent under Section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act, 1909, to the erection of an oil-fired power station at Inverkip. This application is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the review of the General Teaching Council will be completed.

My right hon. Friend has asked interested parties to let him have their views on this matter by 30th June and he will try to complete the review in the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has had from the local authorities of Moray and Nairn, Angus and Perthshire to introduce or extend fee-paying in schools.

None, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals for the establishment of light manufacturing industry in the Isles of Lewis, Harris, North and South Uist and Benbecula, respectively, have been prepared by the Highlands and Islands Development Board; and which of these it is proposed to put into early operation in view of persistent local unemployment.

The Board has already given grants and loans amounting to £91,000 for 23 small industrial projects in these islands. It will continue to make strenuous efforts to attract industry to them, but decisions to establish new enterprises there must remain with the industrialists themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Highlands and Islands Development Board expects to have its proposed hotels built in the Islands of Barra and Harris, respectively; and what stage the plans and negotiations have reached.

The Board hopes that a start can be made on the building of the Barra hotel in 1970. No firm decision has yet been taken about the proposed hotel in Harris, but several possible sites have been inspected.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the amount of the contributions from Government funds to the preparations for the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

Grant of £750,000 is being paid to Edinburgh Corporation towards its expenditure on the Sports Centre and Stadium at Meadowbank.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now completed his consultations on his plans to establish passenger transport authorities in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

No decision has yet been taken on whether or not to set up passenger transport authorities in Scotland. As part of the process of consultation my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, has promised to meet representatives of Glasgow Corporation to discuss with them the particular implications for the Corporation, as the only municipal transport operator in the Greater Glasgow area, of any passenger transport authority which might be set up there.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what study the Economic Planning Council has made of the future position of shipbuilding in Scotland.

The Scottish Economic Planning Council has of course advised me on this subject following the submission to the Government of the Geddes Report in particular and subsequently.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people are now working in agriculture in Scotland.

The number of farm workers—excluding occupiers—at June 1968 was 50,245, of whom 40,544 were regular full-time, 4,987 regular part-time and 4,714 casual and seasonal. In addition, it is estimated that there were about 49,000 working occupiers of whom more than half were on part-time holdings.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to increase the supply of geriatric beds for old people in the North-East of Scotland.

The North-Eastern Regional Hospital Board plans to provide additional geriatric beds in Morayshire and in the City of Aberdeen, but it has not yet been possible to fix starting dates for these schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will underwrite an extension of the North Isles air services in Orkney to include Fair Isle and Shetland.

No. I am not satisfied of the need to subsidise such services, nor would I be prepared to assist a link service to Shetland in competition with B.E.A.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what answer has been sent to representations made by Fair Isle for a three-days-a-week mail boat service during the summer.

This is primarily a matter for Zetland County Council, who have informed me that they propose to provide up to 20 additional crossings this summer. I have agreed to these being taken into account in determining the grant I make to the Council towards the service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the number of official forms in Scotland which are available in a language other than English, and the number of such forms which have an added English translation, respectively.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what adjustment will be made to the guarantee arrangements to compensate the Scottish Milk Marketing Board for its losses caused by the creamery workers' strike in South-West Scotland.

I am considering a claim by the Board that the lost gallonage should be taken into account in the guarantee calculations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the reduction in the price paid to milk producers as a result of the creamery workers' strike in South-West Scotland.

It will be for the Board to decide how the financial loss, when that has been finally assessed, is to be reflected in producers' prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland of the total number of abortions notified to him in the year since the Abortion Act, 1967, came into effect, how many were carried out on patients in the 25th, 26th and 27th weeks of pregnancy, respectively.

I regret that detailed statistics for the full year are not yet available. In the period 27th April to 31st December, 1968, of the 1,537 abortion operations performed in Scotland, one was carried out on a patient estimated to be in the 25th, and one estimated to be in the 26th week of pregnancy. No such operations were carried out on patients estimated to be in the 27th week of pregrancy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce his decision following the public inquiry into the compulsory purchase of land at Tweedbank, Roxburghshire.

Part I of the report of the public inquiry has just been circulated for factual comment to all the parties concerned. I hope to receive the completed report in time to be able to issue my decision in July.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will name each committee, commission and other public body, other than an elected body, charged with responsibility for Highlands and Islands affairs and which of these bodies he now proposes to wind up or amalgamate on the ground that their functions have been made unnecessary through the creation of the Highlands and Islands Development Board.

Only the Crofters Commission operates exclusively within the same area as the Highlands and Islands

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he now expects to reach a decision about the trunking of A94.

I have nothing to add to my reply of 23rd April to the hon. Mem-

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will instruct the Scottish Development Department to conduct an inquiry into the reasons for the decline since 1964 in the percentage of total United Kingdom male employment arising in Scotland.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the statutory toll bridges, tunnels and roads in Scotland, showing in each case the date of the relevant Act, the date when the present rights for collecting tolls expires, the revenue from tolls in 1967–68 and in 1968–69, the cost of collection, the number of people employed and the scale of charges.

The following is the information:ber for North Angus and Mearns (Mr. Buchanan-Smith).—[Vol. 782. c.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hospital beds are available for geriatric cases in Glasgow; and what is the present waiting list for this hospital accommodation.

1,924 and 207 respectively on 30th April, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Educational Institute of Scotland asking him to set up a public inquiry into education in Lanarkshire with particular reference to the employment of persons disapproved by the official reference panel; and what reply he has sent.

I have as yet received no representations from the Institute. On 18th April, however, my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Under Secretary of State met representatives of Lanarkshire Education Authority and discussed with them a range of matters affecting education in this county, particularly the operation of the reference panel arrangements. As a result I have received assurances from the Authority that appointments of unregistered teachers will be referred timeously to the panel and that action will then be taken promptly to implement the panel's decision where the appointment is disapproved. The Authority has also undertaken to seek the agreement of the district inspector if it wishes to supplement the teaching staff of a school by making a non-teaching appointment or to retain in a non-teaching capacity a person whose appointment has been disapproved. I consider these assurances to be satisfactory and I am confident that the Authority will ensure that they are implemented.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what study he has made of the Analysis of Survey of British Standard Time carried out by Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

This survey forms part of the wider survey carried out by the Council of Scottish Chambers of Commerce. The Government are taking account of it in their assessment of the effects of British Standard Time during the past winter. I hope that it will be possible before long to announce the result.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will complete his consideration of the representations made to him by the National Farmers' Union of Scotland about British Standard Time.

The representations by the National Farmers' Union of Scotland are being taken fully into account in our interim assessment of the general effects of the British Standard Time experiment. An announcement on the result of the assessment will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff are employed by the North of Scotland Water Board in its offices in Wick and their area offices in Caithness. Sutherland, Orkney and Shetland.

I am asking the North of Scotland Water Board to send this information to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement on the progress made since 1965 towards achieving the house building targets set out in the Scottish Housing Programme 1965–70, Command Paper Number 2837.

Information covering progress will be found in the recently published Housing Return for Scotland, 31st March, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representation has been received regarding the movement of industry away from the County of Midlothian; and what reply has been sent.

None since 1967.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the net recruitment to Scottish police forces in the first five months of 1969.

During the first five months of 1969 347 officers were recruited and 370 retired or resigned from Scottish Police Forces, the net loss being 23 officers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action has been taken by his Department in the past year with reference to researching into the sprat fisheries round Scotland; and what further information is now available as a result.

Research has been largely concerned with collecting data on catch, fishing effort and age structure of the fished stocks to provide a basis on which to assess the sustainable yield. Available data does not suggest that the stocks in the Scottish East Coast fisheries are at present being over exploited. My Department has also collaborated with the White Fish Authority in surveys of unexploited resources on the Scottish West Coast.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will issue a report on the causes of Scottish emigration to other parts of the United Kingdom and overseas.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will tabulate the value of retail sales for each region and in total in each quarter of 1968, and for the first quarter of 1969.

A regional distribution of retail sales in years between censuses of distribution is not available. For Great Britain as a whole total sales by the retail trade were £2,900 million, £3,000 million, £3,000 million and £3,600 million in the successive four quarters of 1968 and £3,000 million in the first quarter of 1969.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take, in view of the repre- sentations of the Transport and General Workers Union in Grimsby, regarding the plan to allow Icelandic trawlers to fish inside waters barred to British ships.

I have received no formal representations from the Transport and General Workers Union. The Icelandic Government are free to allow trawing by Icelandic vessels within Icelandic limits. But my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I are watching the position closely and will make a careful assessment. On present information, however, the impact of the Icelandic decision seems likely to be small.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what report he has received from the Monopolies Commission in connection with the increase in the number of conglomerate companies resulting from take-over bids and acquisitions; and what action he is taking.

The Monopolies Commission's reports on the mergers proposed between Unilever and Allied Breweries and between the Rank Organisation and De La Rue were published this morning. They contain information about increases in merger activity in recent years, and examine issues arising in relation to conglomerate mergers. The Commission recommends the provision of further in- formation by companies undertaking mergers, and also by the Board of Trade. We are considering these recommendations and we propose to discuss with the C.B.I. and other interested bodies the specific suggestitons which the Commission has made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the decline in home sales of domestically-produced motor cars and the rise in the import of foreign-produced cars; and what action he is taking to redress the balance.

The answer to the first part of the question is yes: and to the second part that the full range of Government assistance to industry is available to the motor industry to enable it to improve its competitive position.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in how many cases the the nationalised airlines or companies in which they have an interest have, within the last two years, leased or bought land for the purpose of hotel construction at less than market price from the Crown or from other nationalised industries.

None.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount of British imports from Spain in 1968; and what were the comparable figures in respect of each of the previous five years.

This information is published in Table IV of the December issue of the Overseas Trade Accounts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made on the proposal to set up a National Design Council.

As I informed the House on 17th April, the Government accept in principle the recommendation made last year by a Working Party of the Council of Engineering Institutions (on which the Council of Industrial Design was represented) that a National Design Council should be set up to take over the present responsibilities of the Council of Industrial Design, to build on its organisation and to give greater emphasis to engineering design. This is of great importance to the competitiveness and export effort of our engineering industries. But at the same time we must naturally have careful regard to the implications of this proposal for public expenditure.With the agreement of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology, and after consultation with the Council of Industrial Design and the Council of Engineering Institutions, I have invited a firm of management consultants, Messrs. John Hoskyns and Company Ltd., to consider how the new council can best be set up and develop its activities in relation to both industrial and engineering design throughout the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many poultry packing firms have not yet implemented the requirements of the slaughter of Poultry Act, 1964, regarding electric stunning prior to bleeding; and what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with the Act.

Proposals have been published for bringing the Act into operation and making regulations this year. Until then, the question of compliance does not arise.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food what have been the net earnings for the latest convenient period resulting from the export of dogs from the United Kingdom to Japan; what is the number of animals involved; and what regulations have to be complied with to enable this type of exportation to occur.

The information requested on net earnings is not available. There are no regulations covering the export of dogs from this country and no licensing procedure. Where importing countries require certification that the animal has come from a country free from rabies, my Department provides the necessary certificate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a further statement about the export of dogs to Japan.

I am at present studying reports from the Embassy in Tokyo and will inform the hon. Member, as soon as possible, of my conclusions.

asked the President of the of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will be the price of milk per pint immediately before and after the ½d. is demonetised.

The maximum retail price of ordinary pasteurised milk at present stands at 10½d. a pint. The provision to be made for maximum prices after demonetisation of the ½d. will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to assist young farmers' clubs in meeting their counterparts in member countries of the European Economic Community.

We already assist the international activities of young farmers through grants to the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.

asked the Minister of Technology how many orders have been placed for the Skyvan light freighter aircraft; and what proportion of these are for export.

A number of film orders have been received and others, mostly for export, are well advanced in negotiation; but it would be against Shorts' commercial interests for me to disclose the exact state of their order book.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what was the total financial assistance given to development areas or districts, including investment allowances, free depreciation, expenditure under the Local Employment Acts, selective employment tax premium, regional employment premium, and investment grants in 1962–63, 1963–64, and 1967–68, respectively; and what is the estimate for 1968–69.

Preferential assistance to industry on a regional basis was approximately £24 million and £17 million in 1962–63 and 1963–64 respectively. No regional details of investment allowances are available. It was £158 million in 1967–68 and the provisional estimate for 1968–69 is £268 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will state Government expenditure on military development, health, agriculture, housing and industry, respectively, in the latest available 12 months;(2) what estimate he has made of the total national expenditure on military development, health, agriculture, housing and industry, respectively, in the latest available 12 months.

The following is the answer:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is currently the annual foreign exchange cost of aid to underdeveloped countries, and overseas military expenditure respectively; and what is now the estimated total cost of purchases including cancellation charges of American military aircraft.

It is not practicable to calculate the foreign exchange cost of the whole aid programme. Estimates of the foreign exchange cost of marginal changes in the programme suggest that it is about one third, or rather more if there is pressure on the capacity of industries producing aid financed exports. The estimates rest on a number of assumptions on variable factors, and do not take account of debt service receipts due on past aid loans.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the last year in which the United Kingdom had a surplus on the balance of payments.

1962, on current and long-term capital account.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to give effect to the recommendation made by the chairman of the Committee on Invisible Exports that the Central Statistical Office should show gross payments and receipts and net balances for Government transactions on the one hand and private earnings on the other in all summary tables produced.

My right hon. Friend is considering this question as part of a general review of the presentation of published balance of payments statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much damage in £ sterling was done to German civilian property during the winter exercises by the British Army of the Rhine between September, 1968, and March, 1969; what was the cost of damage to Army property, tanks, vehicles and equipment during the same period; and what was the cost in Germany currency of these exercises.

The answer to the first part of the Question is of the order of £330,000; and to the third part of the order of £1·1 million. I regret that information on the second part of the Question is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange that warrants issued to Servicemen going on leave to Orkney and Shetland be available by air as well as sea.

I am prepared to consider this possibility in the light of any proposals on leave which may be included in the Report by the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the findings of the board of inquiry into the mid-air collision between a Canberra and a Victor on 19th August 1968, over the township of Holt, Norfolk.

Yes. The accident occurred when a Canberra from Royal Air Force Germany, which had completed a task on Wainfleet range and was climbing in an easterly direction from the range, collided with a Victor climbing out of Marham in a north-easterly direction. The Canberra pilot contacted the Eastern Radar Station during his climb out from the range and was instructed by the Controller to turn 30 degrees right for identification. There were many thunderstorms in the area and the dense weather returns made identification on the Primary Radar impossible. The Controller therefore had changed to the "Secondary Radar only" display in order to achieve it. Although this display provides a positive means of identification it cannot be used to maintain radar control because only an aircraft transmitting a radar signal can be seen by the Controller. Having achieved identification, the Controller advised the pilot to revert to normal navigation. One minute and twenty seconds later the Canberra collided with the Victor in cloud.The Victor had been using the standard lane for climbing out of Marham, with some small variations to avoid the heaviest weather. The pilot obtained some assistance from the Midland Radar Station in avoiding thunderstorms on the climb, but the Controller had great difficulty in identifying the aircraft owing to the abnormally heavy weather returns on Primary Radar. These weather returns concealed the approaching Canberra from him. Conversely the Eastern radar Controller did not see the Victor on the Secondary Radar.The Board's finding was that the cause of the accident was the abnormal weather conditions coupled with the unsatisfactory performance of the ground radar in these conditions.We are naturally much concerned to ensure that there will not be another tragic accident of this kind. The odds against such an accident are of course immense; but full assurance will be possible only when the existing radars have been replaced by more modern equipment which will not be seriously affected by thunderstorms. Meanwhile work is in hand on improving the effectiveness of existing radars; mandatory new penetration and departure procedures for aircraft using the ranges on the coast of East Anglia have been introduced, together with certain new restrictions on flying by other military aircraft in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what has been the total cost to public funds to date of supplementary benefits for the families of men involved in the current industrial dispute at Leyland Motors Limited.

I have been asked to reply.About 1,900 supplementary benefit payments totalling approximately £8,500 were made up to 3rd June for the dependants of men involved in the Leyland Motors trade dispute.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will list the vocational professional and similar exchange programmes for apprentices and similar categories of younger persons between this country and member and applicant states of the European Economic Community in which her Department is involved.

My Department is involved in two schemes for assisting people to obtain work in countries which include all member and applicant states of the European Economic Community, except the Republic of Ireland. These are:—

The O.E.C.D. scheme for the International Clearing of Vacancies and Applications for Employment.

The Western European Union scheme for the Exchange of Student Employees between certain European Countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what has been the estimated net gain of new jobs in Scotland in each of the last 10 years; and how many new jobs are expected in the next two years.

Information is available about the level of employment in Scotland at mid-year for each of the last ten years. It is not possible to estimate the number of new jobs likely to arise over as short a period as two years, but there are currently about 41,000 jobs in prospect over the next four years in authorised new industrial buildings and in existing buildings taken over by manufacturing firms according to information given by the developers.Following is the information about the level of employment in Scotland in the last ten years:—

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the net gain in jobs in Scotland in the years 1960 to 1964; and what was the net loss in jobs in Scotland from 1965 to the present time.

The estimated number of employees in employment in Scotland increased by 19,000 between June, 1960 and June, 1964 and decreased by 35,000 between June, 1964 and June, 1968.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the extent and nature of the shortage of local authority housing in the city of Bradford.

Bradford require a substantial local authority housing programme so that slum clearance can be accelerated and to a lesser extent to provide for old people who are unsuitably housed. A more exact estimate should be provided by a recent house condition survey in the West Riding, which will be available this year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will seek to reintroduce compulsory powers of housing requisition in areas of housing shortage.

Local authorities already have power to acquire existing dwellings, by compulsion if necessary, when the exercise of their housing responsibilities requires it. I do not believe therefore that the reintroduction of requisitioning powers is necessary.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the cost to central Government funds of planning staff and appellate machinery in the last financial year.

The cost for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government was £3,750,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the amount in sterling of public and private civil purchases by the German Federal Government from the United Kingdom under the offset agreement for the last financial year for which figures are available.

In 1967–68, the last full financial year for which figures are available, the amount of public and private civil purchases under the offset agreement was DM 282 million. It is not possible to give a precise sterling equivalent since payments during the year straddled the date of devaluation. All that can reasonably be said is that the figure lies between £25 and £29·3 million. The amount of similar purchases for the first nine months of the 1968–69 financial year is, on the basis of preliminary figures, approximately £19 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his official visit to Iran.

While in Iran my right hon. Friend took part in the 16th Ministerial Council Meeting of the Central Treaty Organisation. He also had useful discussions with His Imperial Majesty the Shah and with the Iranian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on matters of mutual concern. My right hon. Friend's programme also allowed him to meet representatives of the business community in Tehran.

asked the Lord President of the Council why no copy of the Report on Scales of Salaries for Teachers in Primary Schools, England and Wales, 1969, is available in the Library of the House.

It is regretted that the availability of this Report was delayed as a result of the industrial dispute in the Stationery Office warehouse. A copy is now available in the Library.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the non-Parliamentary publications issued since 28th April, 1969, indicating those which are not available in the Library.

Owing to the recent industrial dispute in the Stationery Office warehouse, non-Parliamentary publications for publication since 28th April have not been available in the Library. As my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury informed the House on 9th June, this dispute has now been settled and copies will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the value of telecommunications equipment to be installed in Northern Ireland during 1969; and what were the corresponding figures for 1964 and 1967.

The estimated value, including the cost of installation, for the financial year 1969–70 is £6,200,000. Corresponding figures for the financial years 1964–65 and 1967–68 were £2,733,000 and £4,073,000 respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will now reduce the minimum initial deposit of £5 to open a Giro account.

I have decided to reduce the initial deposit to £1 from 1st July.

asked the Postmaster-General which areas in Scotland do not have satisfactory reception of the various British Broadcasting Corporation radio and television programmes; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hamilton (Mrs. Ewing) on 3rd December, 1968.—[Vol. 774, c. 446.]

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what new financial aid the United Kingdom offered to India and Pakistan at the Consortia meetings organised by the World Bank in Paris from 19th to 23rd May, 1969.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what new financial aid the United Kingdom offered to India and Pakistan at the Consortia meeting organised by the World Bank in Paris from 19th to 23rd May, 1969.

£38 million was pledged for India and £9·5 million for Pakistan for 1969–70. As in the case of previous aid to India and Pakistan, this will be in the form of interest-free loans repayable over 25 years with a grace period of seven years before repayments of capital begin. These pledges are intended to maintain disbursements of aid at broadly the same level as during recent years. Disbursements during 1969–70 will, of course, be contained within the overall aid programme of £205 millions, and will be charged to the Overseas Aid (Bilateral) Vote in due course.

asked the Minister of Power if he will list the collieries scheduled for closure, or which have had jeopardy meetings, that produce coking coal in Scotland; and what proportion of the total of £1½ million tons is produced by them.

Cardowan and Kingshill No. 3 which had jeopardy meetings last year provided about 23 per cent. of requirements in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of operations for the termination of pregnancy, septic abortions and incomplete abortions at the Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, in the quarter ending 31st March, 1967, and the quarter ending 31st March, 1969, respectively.

The following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he is aware that the closing of the gynaecological ward at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, is causing hold-ups in patients' admissions and operations; and when it proposed to re-open this ward;(2) whether he is aware that a mother in Stockport awaiting a fertility operation cannot be admitted to Stepping Hill Hospital, having been informed by her doctor that the wards are filled with women awaiting abortions; and if he will take steps to ensure that facilities are readily available for woman in need of gynaecological operations other than abortions.

The priority to be accorded to the treatment of a particular patient is a matter for clinical judgment. On 9th June, 1969, 12 gynaecological beds were closed owing to shortage of nurses and it is not yet possible to say when they will be re-opened. 40 gynaecological beds are still in use.