§ 20. Mr. Swinglerasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence the latest date on which the member countries of the North Atlantic Council jointly reviewed their defence burdens; and what were the instructions given to the British representative on that occasion.
§ Mr. BirchLast December. It would not be in the public interest to answer the second part of the hon. Member's question.
§ Mr. SwinglerIs it not a fact that there has been no review of defence expenditure in N.A.T.O. since the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave his injunction to the hon. Gentleman to seek some relief from this country's heavy defence burden? Will he therefore make some move towards getting a reduction on defence expenditure in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation so that this country may get some relief from what is the heaviest defence expenditure of N.A.T.O. countries in Europe?
§ Mr. BirchAs the hon. Member knows, the review is a continuous process and will, of course, go through all its stages in the present year.