HC Deb 28 May 1941 vol 371 c1845
37. Mr. Stokes

asked the Secretary of State for War how many hutted camps were included in the estimate of £20,000,000; and how many were actually completed or included in the total of £22,730,860 expended?

The Financial Secretary to the War Office (Mr. Richard Law)

The £20,000,000 was not related to any particular number of camps but made provision for some 90,000 Militia, excluding the Militia at searchlight batteries for whom provision was made elsewhere. In addition, it made provision for certain other accommodation. The £22,750,000 referred to in the Comptroller and Auditor-General's Report covered accommodation for 100,000 men at peace scales or 130,000 at war scales, in camps, in extensions to barracks and at searchlight batteries.

Mr. Stokes

Are we to understand from the figures that the total cost of the camps in the original programme was exceeded by only 10 per cent., and, if not, will the Minister say what percentage of the original plan was carried out in the expenditure of the £22,000,000?

Mr. Law

The total cost exceeded the Estimate presented to Parliament by approximately 10 per cent., but that figure of £20,000,000 does not apply to the engineering estimates of the individual camps. I think that is where my hon. Friend is under some misapprehension.

Mr. Stokes

Is it not really rather misleading? Would it not have been better not to compare those two figures at all?

Mr. Law

It was the Comptroller and Auditor-General who did it and not I.