GOVERNMENT SURPLUS GOODS (PUBLIC AUCTIONS) (Hansard, 25 March 1965)

§ Q1. Mr. Dodds
asked the Prime Minister if he will provide facilities for a small party of Members to attend as observers at a selected number of public auctions of Government surplus goods.

§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)
Yes, Sir. I suggest my hon. Friend or any other hon. Member interested makes arrangements initially with the Ministry of Defence, which has much the biggest commitment in this field.

§ Mr. Dodds
I am grateful to the Prime Minister for that reply. I would ask him to look into what the Navy does with surplus goods, because the Written Answer to my Question of 12th March suggests that, unlike other Service and Civil Departments, the Navy does not have any surplus goods? Does this mean that Old Moore is on the staff to forecast accurate ordering, or is it taken out to sea and dumped? What happens to it?

§ The Prime Minister
I do not think my hon. Friend should read quite so much into this Answer. The position is that, when the Navy Department has any surplus stocks, it calls for tenders through Press advertisements and surpluses are then sold to the highest bidder. I think I am right in saying that this has been investigated over a period of years by the Public Accounts Committee.

§ Mr. Lubbock
Am I right in assuming that only a very limited number of people attend the auctions of Service property? If so, might it not be a good idea if, instead of having public auctions, the Service Departments first offered these goods for sale by public tender and then sent catalogues round to this limited number of potential purchasers asking them to make the highest bid they could?

§ The Prime Minister
I have said on previous occasions that we are looking yet again into the question of the disposal of surplus stores. As I have said, over a period of years the P.A.C. has looked into this question. If there is a feeling that too few people attend these auctions, at least we have now the assurance that the 732 numbers will be increased by the attendance not only of my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Crayford (Mr. Dodds) but of other hon. Members who would like to see what goes on.