§ Mrs. Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the Scheme Counterdrift operated by the Highlands and Islands Development Board.
§ Mr. Ross:In November, 1966, the Highlands and Islands Development Board announced its intention to estab-
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APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF PATIENTS PER DOCTOR PROVIDING UNRESTRICTED GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 Scotland 1,978 1,996 2,005 2,049 2,083 2,082 Aberdeen and Kincardine 1,735 1,820 1,765 1,795 1,764 1,956 Angus 2,008 2,055 1,975 2,080 2,073 2,080 Argyll and Bute 1,230 1,194 1,119 1,133 1,176 1,134 Ayr 2,088 2,112 2,126 2,215 2,244 2,241 Banff, Moray and Nairn 1,509 1,553 1,510 1,511 1,552 1,550 Caithness 1,833 1,998 1,881 1,874 1,869 1,769 Dumfries 1,854 1,902 1,940 2,032 1,940 1,903 Dunbarton 2,082 2,060 2,154 2,184 2,285 2,221 Fife 2,138 2,146 2,088 2,134 2,113 2,202 Galloway(Kirkcudbright and Wigtown) 1,536 1,571 1,566 1,560 1,507 1,534 Inverness 1,495 1,585 1,590 1,642 1,634 1,651 Lanark 2,366 2,339 2,329 2,456 2,494 2,507 Lothians and Peebles 1,989 2,028 2,057 2,218 2,199 2,130 Orkney 1,103 1,037 929 982 981 971 Perth and Kinross 1,764 1,733 1,736 1,694 1,713 1,683 Renfrew 2,264 2,267 2,309 2,351 2,372 2,316 Ross and Cromarty 1,420 1,419 1,386 1,354 1,344 1,403 Roxburgh, Berwick and Selkirk 1,647 1,612 1,504 1,618 1,701 1,725 Stirling and Clackmannan 2,065 2,042 2,156 2,197 2,215 2,190 Sutherland 1,043 1,045 966 962 1,023 952 Zetland 1,628 1,273 1,365 1,360 1,354 1,350 City of Aberdeen 2,198 2,155 2,165 2,118 2,213 2,091 City of Dundee 1,873 2,006 2,069 2,085 2,189 2,142 City of Edinburgh 1,834 1,899 1,989 2,003 2,091 2,092 City of Glasgow 2,104 2,121 2,126 2,154 2,198 2,211 NOTE: The figures relate to 1st October each year. Since it is not possible to eliminate all duplicate entries from doctors' lists the true figures are slightly smaller. lish a register of persons who would be interested in working in the Highlands if suitable employment were available. One of the main purposes of the scheme, known as "Operation Counterdrift", is to assure incoming industries of the availability of a large reservoir of all kinds of skilled labour.
Extensive publicity in the Highland and national Press has resulted in over 10,000 inquiries; nearly 6,500 names are currently on the register. In consultation with the Ministry of Labour, the Board is now preparing to draw the register to the notice of employers in the Highland area.