§ 43. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Prime Minister if he will appoint a special commission, similar to the Hoover Com- 3026 mission in the United States of America, to inquire into extravagance and overlapping in the Armed Forces.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir.
§ Mr. HughesIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Commission in America has already performed useful service in drawing attention to waste in the Armed Services, and does he know that there is considerable disquiet in this country about our £760 million expenditure? Does he think that a commission would serve a useful purpose here?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. I do not think this device would be particularly appropriate here. We have looked at the matter to see if there were any valuable lessons to be learned from it, but here we have a different administration, having set up a Ministry of Defence, and already we have anticipated many of the proposals contained in the Hoover Report.