HC Deb 07 March 1881 vol 259 c421
MR. GABBETT

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether medicines are provided for the Army in England by inviting tenders from the drug trade; and, if not thus, in what manner; whether the practice that exists in England is applied in Ireland; and, whether the Irish drug trade receive invitations to tender for supplies?

MR. CHILDERS

In reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Limerick, I have to state that the present system under which drugs are obtained for the Army in England is that quarterly requisitions are received and settled for the stations, exceeding in number 100, and the drugs are supplied direct to those stations by either the Apothecaries' Company or Messrs. Savory and Moore, according to the price tendered. In Ireland they are supplied by the Apothecaries' Company of Dublin. The prices are checked by those paid by the Admiralty Contract Department, who purchase from the drug trade.