55. Mr. David Adamsasked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence whether, in view of the fact that the Government are probably the largest single purchaser in the country, employing trained personnel to do their buying for the War Office, the Admiralty, the India Office, the Crown Agents for the Colonies, the Office of Works, etc., without the intervention of intermediaries, he will extend this practice to the purchase and distribution of all raw materials required for the rearmament programme?
§ Sir T. InskipThe system of supply for Government Departments includes main contractors, sub-contractors, sub-subcontractors and even smaller divisions of industry, and few of the firms involved specialise entirely on work in connection with Government orders. It would thus be difficult if not impossible to purchase and distribute raw materials for use by them in connection with Government work without having to introduce complete control of large branches of industry, a step which it is not considered to be either desirable or necessary at this stage.