§ 67. Mr. Emeryasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the present method of stock control of consumables held by the Government; whether the value of these stocks is planned to rise or fall this year; and how much capital is tied up in central Government stocks of this description.
§ Mr. William RodgersI am satisfied with the arrangements for delegating responsibility for the control of stocks, to which I referred in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 5th February. It would not be practicable to plan an overall rise or fall in the value of stocks, as requirements for individual items may vary each year. The question as to the amount of capital tied up in central Government stocks of this description could only be answered at the cost of disproportionate time and effort.—[Vol. 795, c. 200.]