§ 45. Mr. W. Shepherdasked the Prime Minister what is the annual cost of bulk purchasing organisations operated by the Government.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee)No special bulk purchasing organisation has been set up by the Government and the Question does not, therefore, arise.
§ Mr. ShepherdSurely the Prime Minister will furnish to the House the cost of the bulk purchasing organisations within the various Ministries concerned?
§ The Prime MinisterWhatever it is, it must be very small. I can give the hon. Member some figures. For instance, one of the largest bulk purchasing authorities is the Ministry of Food. Its entire overheads, including all normal administrative expenses of the Department, divisional food officers, administration of rationing, and cost of storage and depots, amounts to only 1.7 per cent. of the turnover. The actual amount of bulk purchasing done by the ordinary officials must be extremely small.
§ Sir W. SmithersWill the Prime Minister say whether those figures include the trading losses by the Ministry 1029 of Food, and is he aware that bulk purchasing inevitably involves bulk selling and that bulk purchasing is the main reason for the shortage of food and the high prices?
§ The Prime MinisterIf the hon. Member will believe that, he will believe anything.
Major LloydAre not the figures which the Prime Minister has quoted a typical example of what a great deal of harm can be done by a very few?
§ The Prime MinisterI am replying to the Question, and I understood that the complaint was that there are too many civil servants.
§ Sir W. SmithersOn a point of Order. May I ask you, Mr. Speaker, why I should be subjected to that kind of insult? May I ask you whether, if I had said a thing like that, you would not have called me to Order?
§ Mr. SpeakerI am afraid that I see no point of Order there. In fact, I thought the hon. Member was giving information, and not asking for it.
§ Sir W. SmithersIt is because the Government are so ignorant that I am trying to give them advice to help them.