§ 14. Mr. de Freitasasked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in order that the process of supplying aircraft may be speeded up, he will review his organisation for aircraft procurement especially in the stating of operational requirements.
§ Mr. BirchOn taking office I carried out a review of the system for stating operational requirements. In general I consider that the present organisation is sound, but the establishment of joint Air Ministry-Ministry of Supply project teams, which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply and I have set up, should strengthen the machinery for coordinating the development of complete weapons systems.
§ Mr. de FreitasWill it go any way towards meeting the almost unanimous protests of the Service, the designers and manufacturers, and the aeronautical journalists that the present system of procurement is very slow indeed and results in great loss to the public?
§ Mr. BirchThe hon. Gentleman's Question related to the stating of operational requirements by the Air Ministry. I have looked very carefully into that, and I think that on the whole we have been pretty good.
§ Mr. StokesTo what extent are the requirements of the Air Ministry being co-ordinated by the Minister of Defence with the procurements required by the other Service Departments?
§ Mr. BirchThe system is that all the detailed work, once the operational requirement has been stated, is done by the Ministry of Supply. The general policy is decided by the Minister of Defence. The general policy about the sort of proportion of fighters and bombers, etc., that there ought to be is his.