§ 48. Mr. Doddsasked the Prime Minister in view of the unsatisfactory state of affairs revealed by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his Report on the Army Appropriation Accounts, 1956–57, wherein it is stated that, amongst other items, 1,250,000 boots and 1,000,000 half-soles were wrongly ordered and are now surplus to requirements, if he will re-organise the present inter-departmental committee set up to prevent waste of public money in order to secure greater efficiency.
§ The Prime MinisterThe case to which the hon. Member refers has been reported to the House by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The right course is to await the Report of the Public Accounts Committee before any further statement is made.
§ Mr. DoddsBut why does the Prime Minister make such a spineless excuse for a shocking waste of public money? Is not it a fact that his predecessor, Sir Anthony Eden, because of a series of surplus goods frauds, set up an inter-Departmental committee to prevent this kind of thing happening? Is not it clear that, before this colossal order was placed, the boots were not likely to be required, and that for too long now they have cluttered up the Branston Depôt at Burton-on-Trent? Will the right hon. Gentleman say when the people guilty of wilful waste will be sacked and what is to happen to the boots?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman has made a long statement, as is often his custom, much of which is not based on fact. It would be contrary to the tradition of this House and utterly improper for me to do anything now except to wait until the proper Committee of this House, which is the Public Accounts Committee, has made a Report on the basis of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. That is the ordinary procedure of the House, and I intend to follow it.
§ Mr. DoddsOwing to the very unsatisfactory Question—[HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."]—I withdraw the regret about the Question and substitute: owing to the unsatisfactory Answer, I give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest opportunity.