§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the total amount realised in 1964 by the sale of Government surplus stocks at public auctions and the total amount of surplus stocks sold during the same period by informing other Service Departments and civil Departments of the surplus stocks available in advance of public disposal on the basis of the shopping lists sent to them in accordance with the instructions introduced in May, 1956.
§ Mr. MulleyThe total amount realised in 1964 by the Ministry of Defence by 171W the sale of surplus stocks at public auctions was £3,771,609. This covers the surpluses of the Army and Air Force Departments and also receipts from certain items sold by the Army Department on behalf of certain other Government Departments. The Navy Department does not dispose of its surplus stocks by public auction.
The amounts realised by the Army and Air Force Departments during the same period by the sales of surplus stocks to other Service and Civil Departments as a result of the shopping lists procedure were some £75,800 and £72,400 respectively. The Navy Department does not keep special records of this kind of sale and this information is therefore not available in respect of Naval stores.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the results of the instruction issued in May, 1956, that Departments generally should consider whether they can permit some relaxation of their normal standards and specifications in order to be able to take advantage of Service surplus stores which, though not ideally suited to their requirements, may yet serve their purpose.
§ Mr. MulleyInformation is not readily available to enable me to state to what extent other departments have been prepared to relax their standards and specifications in order to take advantage of surplus Service stores. Within the Ministry of Defence each Service accepts surpluses offered by the other Services to the greatest extent practicable.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has of rings operating at public auction sales; and what action is taken to protect the interests of the public purse in this respect.
§ Mr. MulleyThe extent to which rings operate is difficult to know precisely. However, as far as the sales of the surpluses of the Defence Services are concerned, the evidence is that they are not extensive and that they have little influence on prices obtained.
The arrangements for selling surpluses are devised to make effective ringing as difficult as possible but it would not be in the public interest to give details.
§ Mr. Hamlingasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in auctioning 172W surplus Government supplies of sheets and blankets, he will offer them first for sale to regional hospital boards, the National Assistance Board, and local authority welfare committees.
§ Mr. MulleyIt is rare for sheets and blankets in serviceable condition and in appreciable quantities to become surplus to the requirements of the Service Departments. Sheets and blankets offered for disposal are usually in an unserviceable or sub-standard condition. The Ministry of Health is on the shopping list of the Navy and Air Force Departments for serviceable blankets and sheets and is being added for these items to the Army Department's list. We look to the Ministry of Health to cover any requirements of regional hospital boards. The National Assistance Board is not a purchaser of bedding. The position with regard to local authorities is described in Column 2002, paragraph 6, of the OFFICIAL REPORT for 16th May, 1956.