§ Mr. FIELDasked the Under-Secretary or State to the Air Ministry whether he is aware that the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General on the annual accounts of the national factories and the Royal Aircraft Factory states that among the cases recorded are those in which £38,000,000 was given for material, and £16,000,000 was not covered by invoices, where an estimate of £630,000 was dealt with by a later one for £1,200,000, where payments of £1,400,000 were recorded, while £4,700,000 had actually been paid, where advances had been posted twice in the ledger, while amounts have been paid twice though posted only once; whether any inquiry has been made into those statements and the result thereof; and whether the officials responsible for the £500,000 wasted on the proposed flying school at Loch Doon have been reprimanded or dismissed?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSI have been asked to reply to this question. The Comptroller and Auditor-General's Reports on the accounts of the Ministry of Munitions have been inquired into by the Public Accounts Committee of the House. That Committee has taken evidence from1066W responsible officers regarding the subjects referred to, and I assume this Report will be presented to the House in due course. I might, however, refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, the hon. and gallant Member for West Dorset, in the course of the Debate on the Supplementary Vote of Credit on 19th June, 1918. As regards the Loch Doon Flying School, I must refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. Member for Brentford on 1st July.