§ Mr. ATKEYasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether his attention has been drawn to the waste that is taking place at Chilwell, and to the statement that vehicles of all descriptions are rotting away in all weathers, and that blankets and stores of every kind are lying there unused and eaten by rats; and whether he is prepared to consider the advisability of appointing a resident auctioneer at Chilwell to dispose of surplus stores as they arrive?
§ Sir A. WILLIAMSONI have been asked to reply. Chilwell is now an Army Store Depôt, where stores of all descriptions are held for present and future use. Vehicles are in the open, because it has been considered uneconomical and impossible to build cover for them. They are properly cared for, and though some may require repairs after four years of war, they are not rotting. I have no information of any abnormal loss of stores due to the action of rats. As regards the last part of the question, stores surplus to Army requirements are handed over to the Disposal Board of the Ministry of Munitions.