§ Commander Purseyasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the number of occasions during the year ended 31st March, 1962, on which the airfield of H.M.S. "Ariel", Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, was open outside the normal hours of 0800 to 1600 on Mondays to Fridays for flights of V.I.P's and senior officers, test flights, receipt and onward dispatch of aircraft delayed by bad weather or mechanical trouble, and the conveyance of emergency hospital cases, respectively; what was the overtime cost of each occasion; and what was the total number of occassions.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingThe detailed information requested is not readily available but I can say that during the year ending 31st March, 1962, the airfield was opened outside the normal hours on 248 occasions on 214 days for a total of 535 hours, at a cost in overtime, for contract and direct labour, of about £10 per hour. It is more economical to incur overtime by opening the airfield when it is needed than to extend its hours of normal operation.