§ Mr. Kaufmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was raised by his Department's Property Services Agency from the auction of electrical and plumbing tools, plant and equipment held at the district works office, Rampton hospital, Retford, on Tuesday 18 January; how frequently such auctions are organised by the Property Services Agency at other venues; and what financial guidelines cover the operation of these auctions.
§ Mr. Kingsum realised was £9,123.25 less auctioneer's commission and charges for advertising and printing of catalogues, estimated at £800. Final account has not yet been settled.
This is the first such sale held at Rampton. Hitherto surplus PSA stores and secondhand items recovered from works services over a period of long time have usually been sold by tender at intervals of 3 to 4 years—the sum offered usually by scrap merchants has been derisory compared to the staff time involved in sorting the items, laying them out for inspection and preparing an itemised list.
In the case of Retford, the auctioneer did all the sorting out and preparation of a catalogue.
Auction sales are used by the Ministry of Defence and other Government Departments for sale of surplus/obsolete/unserviceable goods.