TNAG-0525-FCO40-620-Visit-of-UK-Members-of-Parliament-(Defence-and-External-Affa-1975 — Page 32

Is this deterioration still going on?

improvement recently.

G. We were there only recently.

A. I think there has been a slight

A. We litotice are interested parties

and one very disappointed, but my understanding is that the last request

for a property to be fumished under the initicl fumishing scheue in Athens was in April 1972 and that was dealt with expeditiously. The application

vas received in the supplies division on 4th lay and the consignment was dispatched by road on 24th August. Tuis egein is the responsibility of the P3 and not ourselves. It became inpossible to complete furnishings in 90 deys in 1974 owing to a muabor of factors, including increased demand world-wide, staff shortages in the supplies division and a deterioration in the supply situation. The situation has improved during the last 12 months, but deliveries are still not good and supplies division are not yot able to deliver initial furnishings within 90 days. The possibility of doing so is being kept under constant roview.

C. You are pressing as hard as you possibly cen? A. I think we are. (ir Thor) I think the answer is yes. There is one further point, that although the initial fumishing scheme which was mentioned, which is a complete set of furniture for a new hiring, was requested on the date Ir Forley gave and produced in about 100 days, there is another dimension of furnishings which is called on 'uplift' in the trade, and there the PSA looks at the state of fumishings in the estate at the place concemed and draws up a list of what is required to bring it up to scratch. Where the delays have been much more serious during the last two or three years for the reasons that I Horley gave. It has mecnt that limited resources and supplies had to be devoted to the 90 day schemes, where they still existed, on the ground that it was better to give people fumiture who had not got any, then to replace furniture for people who already

It is those uplift schones which have bothered the bessy in

hed some.

Athens, and the supply has been slow. I think the PSA would admit this, but

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