§ 90. Mr. Pitmanasked the Minister of supply the expenditure in setting up the centralised workshops of the Ministry of Supply; how many have been closed down, and how much of the total expenditure was expended upon those which have been closed down; and, in respect of any such workshops being now carried on, how the costs per repair compare with the prices paid by him to free enterprise repairers for comparable repairs.
§ Mr. Maudling£571,000 was spent on adapting and equipping Government-owned premises as central vehicle repair depots, and, in addition, surplus Government-owned plant and equipment which originally cost £266,000 have been provided. One depot, for which the coresponding figures are £7,600 and £11,800, has been closed. For comparable work and conditions central repair depots are competitive with the free enterprise repairers.