§ 19. Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a statement giving details of the machinery that exists in his Department for keeping a check on those responsible for ordering supplies with a view to avoiding waste and invoking disciplinary action where necessary; and how often action has been taken, and in what way, since 1st January, 1954, where mistakes have been made in the ordering of supplies which have resulted in a substantial loss of public money.
§ Mr. SoamesAll orders for stores are checked by the Ordnance Services and by finance branches. Since 1954, improvements have been made in our procedure following reports of the Public Accounts Committee, but no negligence or misdemeanour has come to light which would call for disciplinary action.
§ Mr. DoddsIf machinery is in existence such as the right hon. Gentleman 1219 suggests, why, when I have raised with him over several weeks the question of the scandal of the production of over £2 million worth of boots which were never wanted and which have been for so long in store, could he not answer the question and say what his Department has done about it instead of making the excuse that he must await the Report of the Public Accounts Committee?
§ Mr. SoamesAs the Prime Minister told the hon. Gentleman some time back now, this matter is being examined by the Public Accounts Committee, which will report to the House, and it is a tradition of the House that we should await such a report.
§ Mr. DoddsBut does not the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that when the Prime Minister answered he was answering a question about the changing of the Committee? The answer was to the effect that he must wait and see what the Public Accounts Committee had to say about it. But that is nothing to do with the machinery of the right hon. Gentleman's Department to prevent the waste of public money.