§ Mr. W. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the following figures for Edinburgh and Kilmarnock, respectively: the consolidated rates, 1948 and 1947; the Government grants, 1948 the rateable value lost under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1948; and the amounts received from rates pool in lieu.
§ Mr. WoodburnThe Information is as follows:
Council to give their approval to the ordering of spectacles. Demand is however slackening and this period should be considerably reduced shortly. Delivery by opticians takes an average of about 12 weeks, though the time varies greatly according to the date of the order and the firm from which they are ordered. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Health and I have recently set up an Ophthalmic Optical Production Committee, which includes representatives of both consulting and manufacturing opticians, to advise on this and other problems of production.