§ Mr. Hendryasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes to take to remedy the shortage of hospital and domiciliary midwives and health visitors in the north-east of Scotland.
§ Mr. MaclayI am not aware of any general shortage of domiciliary midwives or health visitors in this area. As regards hospital midwives, where additional recruitment on a full-time trained basis is difficult, I am in constant touch with the hospital authorities about the fuller use of part-time midwives, nursery nurses and nursing auxiliaries; and also about the possibility of co-operation with local health authorities, whose midwifery staffs now have much smaller numbers of domiciliary confinements to undertake.