§ 8. Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the question of Mr. Jim Smith and Aish and Company of Poole in the past month.
§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Mr. Norman Lamont)The hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) recently raised this matter with my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House, and I have written to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursIs the Minister aware that I have spent the past 12 months investigating the affair of Mr. Jim Smith and Aish and Company? The conclusion that I draw is that officials at the Ministry of Defence have deliberately misled Ministers as to the effectiveness of post costing arrangements within the Ministry of Defence? They know that it was Mr. Smith who found the excess profits being charged by Aish and Company. When the report of the Public Accounts Committee is produced in two weeks, will the Minister take it home and read it in detail, follow its recommendations, and make a statement to the House?
§ Mr. LamontI have not spent the past year researching this subject, as has the hon. Gentleman, but it sometimes feels as though I have spent the last year preparing for the hon. Gentleman's questions on this matter. I take seriously what he says. However, I fail to follow what motive he thinks Ministry of Defence officials would have in denying things which he believes to be true. I cannot understand 546 that motive. Of course I shall look at the Public Accounts Committee's report, and I shall be interested to see whether there is any evidence to cause us to change our conclusions.