HC Deb 30 November 1943 vol 395 cc196-7
52. Mr. Rhys Davies

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether an inventory exists of all property secured by His Majesty's Government since the outbreak of war; and, if so, whether each Department retains its own, or whether a complete inventory is held by the Treasury?

Sir J. Anderson

It is the responsibility of each Department to maintain records of assets belonging to it, and there is no central inventory kept in the Treasury, for the reasons explained in the appendix to the Sixteenth Report from the Select Committee on National Expenditure. The recommendations on the subject contained in that Report are now under consideration.

Mr. Davies

The right hon. Gentleman has told us that it is the responsibility of each Department to keep an inventory; what I want to know from him is, is he satisfied that every Department knows what it owns?

Sir J. Anderson

Yes, Sir.

Mr. Woodburn

Further to that point, does the Chancellor think it is satisfactory that such huge sums of money should be allocated to spending in the Departments, without any central control being exercised by the Chancellor himself?

Sir J. Anderson

That is an assumption for which there is no foundation at all.