§ 6. Mr. Sidney Shephardasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many R.A.F. hangars are now redundant; and how many of them have been passed over to the Board of Trade for disposal.
§ Mr. StracheyWe have informed the Board of Trade that 387 hangars are no longer required by the Royal Air Force. The Board of Trade allocates the hangars to various Departments for storage.
§ Mr. ShephardIs the hon. Gentleman aware that I addressed a Question to the Board of Trade on this particular point, and that it has been handed over to the Ministry of Works? Can the hon. Gentleman say which Department is dealing with it?
§ Mr. StracheyMy information is that the Board of Trade is the Department responsible for allocating.
§ Mr. ShephardHave these hangars actually been handed over?
§ Mr. StracheyYes, it is analogous to our declaring surplus procedure. We have informed the Board of Trade that we do not want the hangars, and the 1082 Board of Trade is allocating them for storage purposes.
§ Major John Morrison. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that I had a similar experience to that of my hon. Friend, and it took four months to get a very unsatisfactory reply?
§ Mr. StracheyThat is the position. We cannot be responsible for the allocation, because I understand it is the Board of Trade which allocates. It certainly is not we.
§ Mr. R. S. HudsonIs not this another example of lack of co-ordination between Departments?
§ Mr. SpeakerMay I recommend the right hon. Gentleman to study the evidence given to the Procedure Committee by the acting Leader of the Opposition?