HC Deb 09 March 1964 vol 691 cc119-21

Motion made, and Question proposed, That a sum, not exceeding £2,000,000, be granted to Her Majesty, to defray the expenditure incurred by the Army Department on the supply of munitions, common-user and other articles for the Government service and on miscellaneous supply, which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1965.

Sir H. Harrison

I should like to put two or three points briefly to my hon. Friend. Has he any idea how much of the clothing purchased would be used by the forces during the current year? Or is it going into stock? The amount of stock and the slow turnover worries many of us.

On the subject of general stores, it has been brought particularly to my notice that when Government Departments or Service Departments are ordering a certain type of quite ordinary goods they often ask that they should be packed in a certain way. I am thinking of an example where the goods were required to be packed in large, heavy wooden crates with goodness knows how many screws in them, whereas the firm concerned sent these goods all over the world in cardboard containers in the ordinary course of trade. This requirement about packing merely doubles the price.

I am sure that the Committee would like to know that there is tight control over the buying of stores, including clothing and equipment, for the Services. I should also like my hon. Friend to say something about the non-Exchequer customers mentioned in Item 7. Are they buying goods at more than the cost price, or do these goods come within the enormous quantity of material which is sold as surplus to Government requirements?

Mr. Kirk

As my hon. and gallant Friend will be aware, this form of Vote is unusual in the sense that it never balances from one year to the other. On this Vote also the War Office acts as agent for other Government Departments and also as a general disposal agent for surplus requirements. It is difficult for me to give detailed answers on the points he has raised. Some stores are held for a long time. Others are turned over very quickly. Unless we got down to the precise details it would be difficult to pinpoint those which my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind. If he has a particular item in mind I will see whether we are turning over the stores as quickly as we should be.

I will look into the question of packaging. I have recently looked at a new form of packing case, but it would not work for various reasons which I can explain to my hon. and gallant Friend. We try to keep an eye on this matter, but it is difficult because we do not want to be caught short, particularly as we have to supply other Departments as well as my own. I will, however, reply to my hon. and gallant Friend on this point.

Dr. Alan Glyn

Is my hon. Friend sure that the requirements of the Army are satisfied before anything is disposed of as surplus?

Mr. Kirk

Yes, we make sure as far as we can, but we cannot foresee exactly what the requirements will be at any given time.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved, That a sum, not exceeding £2,000,000, be granted to Her Majesty, to defray the expenditure incurred by the Army Department on the supply of munitions, common-user and other articles for the Government service and on miscellaneous supply, which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1965.