§ Q6. Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint a Minister to conduct an interdepartmental investigation into the system of ordering stores and supplies and their subsequent disposal as surplus.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir, not at present.
§ Sir J. Langford-HoltWill the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that there has been and still is considerable public disquiet about this matter? If he receives any report in the future from any authorities, will he give it serious consideration and follow it up with action?
§ The Prime MinisterI share the disquiet expressed. There has been a considerable improvement recently in stockholding and the transferring of surpluses, as a result of the installation of computers, but there are still anxieties about the methods of their disposal as well as of their ordering. As I have said, the Ministers are looking into this. If we find that there is a case for any kind of Ministerial or general inquiry we shall not hesitate to institute it.
§ Mr. MartenIs not this something that should come out of an efficient Estimates Committee? If Estimates Committees were appointed for a much longer time we should get more out of them of this nature.
§ The Prime MinisterIt is not for me to suggest the appropriate programme for an Estimates Committee, or to comment in any way on its work. In the past the Estimates Committee has produced valuable reports on this subject, and the Public Accounts Committee, which has 223 looked at the matter after the event, has produced some devastating reports, as the House knows.