Military equipment accounted for the majority of the stocks which were held in 383 individual military store accounts in 23 locations across the country.
There are a substantial number of security items held in stores, including weapons, ammunition and explosives, and that access to this information is strictly controlled. The C&AG report states that the full implementation of the remaining Dunning report recommendations should be actioned in a timely manner.
The Department said the stock was required to ensure the ships were kept to a seaworthy standard, for safety and operational reasons, until the decision was made to withdraw them from service.