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| MoD rows back on '£22 for 65p light bulb' denial | MoD rows back on '£22 for 65p light bulb' denial |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) now says it is investigating newspaper claims that it paid £22.51 for light bulbs that can be bought for 65p elsewhere. | The Ministry of Defence (MoD) now says it is investigating newspaper claims that it paid £22.51 for light bulbs that can be bought for 65p elsewhere. |
| The MoD at first insisted the bulbs were highly specialised parts for a radar system, but later said the thrust of the Sun's story was correct. | The MoD at first insisted the bulbs were highly specialised parts for a radar system, but later said the thrust of the Sun's story was correct. |
| It said it was "not denying" the claims after more information came to light. | It said it was "not denying" the claims after more information came to light. |
| The Sun had published an invoice which it said it was shown by a soldier who works in the stores of a UK base. | The Sun had published an invoice which it said it was shown by a soldier who works in the stores of a UK base. |
| The soldier, whom the Sun did not name, told the paper he could not ignore the "criminal" waste he saw every day. | The soldier, whom the Sun did not name, told the paper he could not ignore the "criminal" waste he saw every day. |
| He was quoted as saying: "You're talking about a fortune for these bulbs. If I order 100, that's over £2,000. But you can pick them up for 65p each, the exact same ones. | He was quoted as saying: "You're talking about a fortune for these bulbs. If I order 100, that's over £2,000. But you can pick them up for 65p each, the exact same ones. |
| 'Inexcusable' | 'Inexcusable' |
| "There must be thousands of light bulbs across the MoD. If people paid attention to simple things like this, they could save a lot of money - and maybe jobs." | "There must be thousands of light bulbs across the MoD. If people paid attention to simple things like this, they could save a lot of money - and maybe jobs." |
| Defence chiefs were also said to have paid £103 a time for screws, believed to be on sale online for £2.60. | Defence chiefs were also said to have paid £103 a time for screws, believed to be on sale online for £2.60. |
| In the paper, the soldier said specialist contractors sourced items for the military and added their costs on to the price, but large savings could be made by buying in bulk. | In the paper, the soldier said specialist contractors sourced items for the military and added their costs on to the price, but large savings could be made by buying in bulk. |
| Reacting to the story earlier, Defence Secretary Liam Fox had described it as "inexcusable" and evidence of a waste of taxpayers' money by the previous Labour government. | Reacting to the story earlier, Defence Secretary Liam Fox had described it as "inexcusable" and evidence of a waste of taxpayers' money by the previous Labour government. |
| Dr Fox told the paper: "We are already tackling the procurement problems we inherited head-on. When money is tight and we need to protect the front line, waste is inexcusable. | Dr Fox told the paper: "We are already tackling the procurement problems we inherited head-on. When money is tight and we need to protect the front line, waste is inexcusable. |
| "This is classic evidence of how Labour wasted taxpayers' money and shows a complete lack of common sense. No wonder the last government left the MoD with a budget deficit of £38bn." | "This is classic evidence of how Labour wasted taxpayers' money and shows a complete lack of common sense. No wonder the last government left the MoD with a budget deficit of £38bn." |
| An MoD spokeswoman had earlier said of the bulb: "It was a lamp filament for the Watchman radar. The MoD uses about five per year." | An MoD spokeswoman had earlier said of the bulb: "It was a lamp filament for the Watchman radar. The MoD uses about five per year." |
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| This waste is not new and is not solely the fault of the last government. I served in the RAF during the 1980's and the excessive cost payed for items then was just as bad as now as well as procurement over runs. Any one remember the Nimrod AEW fiasco? Dr Fox ought to check to find out who was in power then - Oh yes, it was the tories under Mrs Thatcher! | |
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| The above comes as no suprise. I know that items such as screws, washers and vehicle parts moved around by same day courier for the MOD adding £100's to the cost.I appreciate certain vehicle parts may only be available from specialist suppliers and have to be shipped using a premium same day service if needed urgently, but using this method to deliver screws, washers and light bulbs is crazy! | |
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| We supplied a few bases of the MOD for a number of years, my contacts were happy with service & price and yet they were forced when they moved to their new DECS procurement system to stop purchasing from us and forced to purchase from another supplier, paying more for exactly the same goods and getting a worse service - absolutely ludicrous - no wonder they are in trouble... | |
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| I worked for an MoD supplier providing fresh fruit and vegetables to military establishments. We charged very high prices, a lot higher than shops local to the various bases would have charged. We also had to provide food AT THE SAME COST to military field exercises -- in one case we hired a trawler at our expense to get a shipment of food to a remote Scottish island. Tesco's wouldn't. | |
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| As an aircraft engineer, I know that you can buy the exact same bulbs, bolts and washers from auto suppliers that are used on aircraft, however the aircraft versions are batch tested for quality and have trackability, (BA BAC 1-11 windscreen accident?). The same probably applies for these critical use MOD items. Which bolts would you prefer fitted to your aircraft at 30,000 ft? | |
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