§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many load-carrying and dual-purpose vehicles were disposed of at the public auction sale at Ruddington from 16th-18th February; what was the original cost and how much they realised; what they were used for and what was the average mileage covered by each vehicle; if he will give a list of the Government Departments and public bodies given an opportunity to acquire them before it was decided to dispose of them at a surplus stores sale; and what was the result.
§ Mr. Mulley1,343 Service load-carrying and dual-purpose vehicles were disposed of. Most of them were over twelve years old and their original cost cannot now be ascertained. It is not usual to give details of prices realised. They had been used to carry military stores and equipment, and, in the case of dual-purpose vehicles, military personnel. The estimated annual average mileage of each vehicle is approximately 7,000.
Only a few of the vehicles, from the Air Force Department were serviceable and these were offered without success to the Navy Department, the Army Department, the Ministry of Aviation, the Home Office, the General Post Office, the Government Communications Headquarters, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Forestry Commission, the Prison Commission and the Ministry of Health. The other vehicles were beyond economic repair and were not offered to other Departments because of their condition and age.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide the hon. Member for Erith and Crayford with copies of communications sent to other Departments and public bodies giving details of load carrying and dual-purpose 344W vehicles surplus to requirement before a decision was taken to auction them at Ruddington on 16th-18th February.
§ Mr. MulleyNo. It is contrary to established practice to disclose interdepartmental communications outside official circles.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many blankets were sold at the auction sale in Belfast on 24th February; why they were sold at a public auction and not retained for further use or acquired by another Department or public body; what was the original cost and how much they realised; and how many of the blankets were new.
§ Mr. Mulley1,290 blankets were sold. They were first offered to the Northern Ireland Government which did not want them. The blankets were all in a very worn condition and had been declared unfit for further Service use. Their original cost is not known, but replacement would cost about £2,400. It is not usual practice to give details of prices realised.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the types and quantities of clothing disposed of at the surplus stores auction sale in Belfast on 24th February; what was the original cost and how much was realised; why the clothing was sold; what amounts were new; what Government Departments and public bodies were given an opportunity to acquire this clothing; and how they were notified before a decision was taken to dispose of the clothing at a public auction sale.
§ Mr. Mulley995 battledress blouses, 987 battledress trousers, 34 women's greatcoats, and 539 men's greatcoats. All this clothing was in worn condition and had been rejected for futher Service use. The clothing was offered to the Northern Ireland Government, Prison Department, which did not want it. Its original cost is not known, but replacement would cost about £6,000. It is not usual practice to give details of prices realised.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the quantity and types of footwear offered for sale at the auction at Belfast on 24th February; what was the original cost and how much they realised; why they were not retained 345W for further use; how many were new; and in what way they were first offered to other Departments and public bodies or welfare organisations before a decision to dispose of them at a public sale was made.
§ Mr. MulleyOne hundred and twenty-eight pairs of shoes, 27 pairs of ankle boots, 53 pairs of rubber thigh boots, and 100 pairs of motor cycle boots were sold. Their original cost is not known, but replacement would cost about £600: it is not usual to give details of prices realised. The shoes and ankle boots had been worn and been declared unfit for further Service use: the rubber thigh boots and the motor cycle boots had not been used but had deteriorated in storage. All the shoes and boots were offered to the Northern Ireland Government, Prison Department, which did not want them.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the reasons for the decision to dispose of engineers' tools and generators at the auction sale at Belfast on 24th February; what was the original cost and how much they realised; for what purpose they were originally purchased; and in what way they were first offered to other Government Departments and public bodies.
§ Mr. MulleyEngineers' tools and generators were disposed of because they were either not serviceable or obsolete, and there was no further Service requirement for them. They were purchased for Royal Engineer works construction purposes, and for general service use. They were not offered to other Departments because of their condition and age. Their estimated cost is £2,588: it is not usual to give details of prices realised.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make available to the hon. Member for Erith and Cray-ford copies of communications sent to other Government Departments and public bodies giving details of the articles surplus to requirements before a decision was made to auction them at Belfast on 24th February.
§ Mr. MulleyThe Prison Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Northern Ireland Government, was sent details of the surpluses; it is however346W well established practice that interdepartmental communications are not normally disclosed outside official circles.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence why it was decided to dispose of generator sets, air compressors, charging sets, wireless reception sets, wireless signal spares, tents, batteries, binoculars, watches, industrial tractors and trailers, fork-lift trucks, survey equipment and theodolites at an auction sale at the Technical Stores Sub-Depot, Shropshire, on 25th February; to what extent these articles could have been of further use to his department or other Government Departments or public bodies; and what was done to draw their attention to these surplus stores before deciding on a public auction.
§ Mr. MulleyThese stores were disposed of because they were either obsolete, surplus to requirements, or not in a serviceable condition. They were of no further use to the Army Department. Those items which were serviceable were offered to other Government Departments under the normal arrangements in force before the decision to dispose of them by public auction was taken.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the amount realised at the surplus stores auction at the Technical Stores Sub-Depot, Shropshire, on 25th February; and what was the total purchase price from public funds.
§ Mr. Mulley£69,477 was realised. It is not possible to state the purchase price.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what types of charging sets were disposed of at the auction sale in Shropshire on 25th February; why they were considered to be of no further use to his or any other Government Department; how much they realised; and what was the original cost.
§ Mr. MulleyThe charging sets were 1260 watt 35 volt, 4 kilowatt 80/125 volt, 42 kilowatt 80/125 volt, 6 kilowatt 110 volt, 300 watt 15 volt, 80 watt 18 volt. In addition there were 15 volt, 200 amp, 12/24 volt, 200/250 volt, AA No. 2, AA No. 4 Battery Chargers, and a Dry Air Changing Plant of 400/440 volts.
347WThese were all obsolescent and were largely unserviceable or beyond economic repair. 12 of the 4 kilowatt sets were serviceable and were offered to other Government Departments. The remaining sets were not offered because of their condition. The original cost of all these is estimated at £36,400: it is not usual to give details of the prices realised.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of tents auctioned; for what reason they were auctioned on 25th February; why they were not retained for further use; when they were purchased; what service they have seen; how much each tent realised at the sale; how this compares with the purchase price; and how the information concerning these surplus tents was brought to the attention of other Departments and public bodies before deciding to dispose of them by public auction.
§ Mr. MulleyFive tents sized 8 ft. x 7 ft. which were of Canadian pattern and were part of a complete wireless station which had become surplus to requirements were auctioned. It is not known when they were bought or how much they had been used. They were offered to other Government Departments under the normal arrangements in force before the decision was taken to dispose of them. They cost £16 each: it is not usual to give details of prices realised.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many batteries, and of what types, were offered for sale at the public auction on 25th February; how the selling price compared with the purchase price per battery; why it was decided to dispose of them rather than retain them for future use; and what action was taken to offer them to other Departments or public bodies before deciding to dispose of them by public auction.
§ Mr. MulleyThe following lead acid batteries: 1,142 6 volt, 174 6 volt 100 amp, 282 6 volt 170 amp, three 24 volt 85 amp, 128 of various capacities and 850 of an Alkaline type for Artillery equipment. Their estimated total purchase cost is £30,928: it is not usual to give details of prices realised. All these batteries were either obsolescent or surplus to requirement. Some were not348W serviceable. They were not offered to other Departments because they were of a type not in general use.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many watches, and what types, were offered for sale at the auction on 25th February; for what purpose they were purchased, and at what price; how many were never used, and how the remainder were used; why it was decided to sell them and not to retain them for possible future; what was the average price obtained for each watch; and what action was taken to ensure that all Departments were offered these watches before the decision was taken to dispose of them by public auction.
§ Mr. Mulley365. 119 wrist watches, 12 pocket watches, and 234 stop watches. They were bought during the war for general service use at a total purchase price of approximately £2,500. All were used. They were disposed of because they were of types not being retained in service. They were not in serviceable condition: where repair was possible, the cost and other factors did not justify it. Owing to their age and condition they were not offered to other Departments.
It is not usual to give details of prices realised.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many, and what types of binoculars were offered for sale at the auction on 25th February; when they were purchased and at what price; how many were sold at the auction and at what price; why it was decided to sell them instead of retaining them for future use; how many had not been used; and in what way other Departments were informed of these surplus stores before deciding to dispose of them at a public auction.
§ Mr. MulleyEight pairs of 7 x 50 prismatic binoculars and 694 pairs of 6 x 30 prismatic binoculars were offered for sale at the auction and were sold. They were bought in 1942 for £14,391 and were all used. They were sold because they were not serviceable and could not be economically repaired, and for this reason they were not offered to other Government Departments. It is not usual to give details of prices realised.
349W
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence why it was decided to dispose of industrial tractors and trailers at the public auction on 25th February; what were the number and types offered; how many were disposed of; how the prices obtained compared with the purchase prices; what service they had seen; why they were not retained for future use; and in what way these were offered to other Departments or public bodies be-tore it was decided to dispose of them by public auction.
§ Mr. MulleyOne Planet Fowler industrial tractor and two Mercury industrial tractors, together with nine industrial fiat top trailers, were offered for sale because they were not serviceable. They were all bold. The Planet Fowler tractor and the Mercury industrial tractors cost £781 each, and the trailers approximately £100 each. It is not usual to give details of the prices realised. Some of the tractors and trailers were used in the 1939–45 war. Because they were not serviceable they were not offered to other Government Departments.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the number and types of fork-lift trucks offered for sale at the public auction on 25th February; when they were purchased; how the selling price per truck compared with the purchase price; what was the reason for disposing of them; and what was done to ascertain if they were required by other Departments or public bodies before deciding to dispose of them at a public auction.
§ Mr. MulleyTwo Conveyancer 2-ton, two Coventry Climax 2-ton, and three Coventry Climax 3,500 lb., fork lift trucks. They were purchased in 1950 and were types not being retained in service. None of them was servicable and the cost of their repair was not justified. The original purchase price of the trucks is not known, but it would cost £1,992 to replace each of the Conveyancer 2-ton and the Coventry Climax 2-ton fork lift trucks, and £1,892 to replace each of the Coventry Climax 3,500 lb. trucks: it is not usual to give details of the prices realised. The trucks were not offered to other Departments because of their age and condition.
350W
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the nature of the survey equipment offered for sale at the public auction on 25th February; when this was purchased and at what price; why it was not retained for future possible use; how the selling price compared with the purchase price; and what steps were taken to acquaint other departments of these surplus stores before deciding to dispose of them by public auction.
§ Mr. MulleyThe survey equipment offered for sale consisted of theodolites, drawing instruments, measuring tapes and field instruments. They were mostly of wartime manufacture and the purchase price is estimated at about £7,640. It is not usual to give details of prices realised. Measuring tapes which were surplus to Army Department requirements were offered to other Government Departments under the normal arrangements in force; the remaining items were not serviceable and were therefore not offered to other Government Departments.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many theodolites were offered for sale at the public auction sale on 25th February; when they were purchased; and why it was decided to sell them as surplus stores.
§ Mr. MulleyFive. They were bought during the war and were sold because they were obsolescent and not serviceable.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will supply the hon. Member for Erith and Crayford with copies of communications sent to other Departments and public bodies, giving details of generator sets, air compressors, charging sets, wireless reception sets, wireless and signal spares, tents, batteries, binoculars, watches, industrial tractors and trailers, forklift trucks, survey equipment, and theodolites before a decision was taken to offer them for sale at the Technical Stores Sub-Depot, Shropshire, on 25th February, so as to give an opportunity for their use.
§ Mr. MulleyA number of Departments having a possible interest were circularised regarding these surpluses; it is however well established practice that interdepartmental communications are not normally disclosed outside official circles.
351W
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for De fence what was the total cost of the Government surplus stores auction sales at Ruddington on 16th-18th February, at Belfast on 24th February, and in Shropshire on 25th February, respectively.
§ Mr. MulleyThe following is the reply:
Ruddington … £4,872 Belfast … £914 Wem, Shropshire … £2,037
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the reason for inviting tenders for the sale of machine tools at the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield; and by what process it has been ascertained whether other Departments could use any of them before publicly inviting tenders.
§ Mr. MulleyThese machine tools were obsolescent or unserviceable. All Government Departments are notified of machines for disposal before disposal takes place.
§ Mr. Hamlingasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, before selling off surplus Government supplies, he will consult the Minister of Overseas Development to discover whether such supplies might be useful in schemes of technical aid.
§ Mr. MulleyI am advised that items which are disposed of by the Services would not be of use in connection with technical aid schemes.