§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the loss by his Department of all the accounting records covering the final year of the Hairdressing Industry Training Board; what has happened to the £16,788 which is missing; and what action he has taken or will take against those responsible.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkI would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Doncaster (Mr. Harold Walker) on 5th February, from which he will have seen that the £16,788 in question was a surplus and not, as first reported in the Press, a loss.
Those mainly concerned with the transit of the package containing the accounts 235W were interviewed during the inquiry into its loss. Although the inquiry concluded that the loss was accidental and that delivery to the addressee had been interrupted because the package weighed 56 lb. and the necessary lifts were not working at the time, there had been some negligence in not keeping the package in closer custody and those responsible were so informed.—[Vol. 850, c. 330.]