§ 94. Mr. Errollasked the First Lord of the Admiralty why it costs £11,535,000 in administrative and inspection costs to ser- 171W vice guns, torpedoes, mines, ammunition and miscellaneous stores of a value of £31,318,000.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasOf the sum of £11,530,000, approximately £3 million relates to labour and other services connected with direct production of Admiralty factories, and inspection, proof and transport of stores. The balance of £8,530,000 represents the cost of storing, handling, distribution, maintenance and inspection of the entire holdings of naval armament stores at naval armament torpedo and mine depots, at home and abroad.
£31,318,000 represents the amount estimated to be required in 1952–53 to pay for new finished stores produced by the trade and the Ministry of Supply together with raw materials for the Royal naval torpedo and propellant factories.
This sum represents the value of only a fraction of the total stock of stores of this type which have been acquired over a period.