§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department received from the sale of surplus(a) uniforms, (b) other clothing and (c) non-combat equipment in each year since 1990. [35973]
§ Mr. SoamesThis is a matter for the Disposal Sales Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DSA, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Keith Ellender to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 9 July 1996:
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the level of receipts received from the sale of surplus uniforms, clothing and other non-combat equipment in each year since 1990. This matter falls to me as Chief Executive of the Disposal Sales Agency.The total sum received by the MOD from the sale of surplus non-combat material (ie. excluding Government-to-Government sales of warlike platforms) is as follows:130W
Financial year £ million 1990–91 19.8 1991–92 24.3 1992–93 26.1
Financial year £ million 1993–94 27.6 1994–95 49.8 1995–96 39.1 Records of sales were not kept on a commodity basis before FY 1993/94, and I regret that I am therefore unable to identify the level of receipts obtained for clothing (including uniforms) before then. Prior to FY 1995–96 surplus uniforms were usually mutilated for security reasons, and sold as scrap textiles by public auction or competitive tender, together with other soiled and scrap clothing. Our records show that the total value of clothing and textiles sold by these methods was £820k in FY 93/94 and £979, in FY 94/95. In May 1995 a storage and marketing agreement for the sale of surplus clothing and textiles was placed with a contractor on a profit-sharing basis. The MOD's share of the receipts from sales of clothing in FY 1995/96 totalled £845k, comprising £375k from sales of uniforms and £470k from the sale of other clothing. A further £456k was obtained during this period from the sale of miscellaneous textiles under the same agreement.