§ 17. Mr. Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Council of Administration of Malta Dockyard has yet appointed a leading firm of ship repairers to act as managing agents.
§ Mr. FisherThe Council of Administration announced the appointment of Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Ltd., as its managing agents yesterday.
§ Mr. BottomleyIn view of the inadequate safeguards for the British taxpayers' money in the past, may we be assured that the authorities in future will submit returns to the Public Accounts Committee?
§ Mr. FisherWe have learned some lessons from the past, and the Public Accounts Committee has been very active and vigilant in this matter. We have now some very good managing agents in the dockyard, and I have every confidence that they will achieve the results which we all want in Malta.
§ Dame Irene WardWill my hon. Friend endorse the opinion—I am sure he will—that Malta is very lucky and the Government are very lucky to have a firm like Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson to undertake this very difficult task, and that it ill behoves anyone opposite to start sneering about the Public Accounts Committee in relation to Swan, Hunter?
§ Mr. FisherI am glad that my hon. Friend makes that point. Swan, Hunter is a long established and very fine firm.
§ Dame Irene WardThe best in the country.
§ Mr. FisherI would not like to be drawn into comparisons. There are many good firms in this country. I should add that the appointment has, of course, been very much welcomed by the Prime Minister of Malta, who set up the Council of Administration under the terms of the Malta Act and was, naturally, consulted before the appointment was announced.
§ Mr. BottomleyWill the hon. Gentleman accept that I did not in any way imply that this was other than a highly reputable firm and that what I said was that the Government had in the past failed to ensure that public money was properly spent?