§ 4. Mr. Shinwellasked the Minister of Defence the types of weapons the production of which has been reduced or suspended, in view of the advent of atomic weapons.
§ The Minister of Defence (Mr. Harold Macmillan)The production programmes of the Services are kept under review in order to eliminate unnecessary expenditure on obsolete or obsolescent weapons. Such information as can be disclosed is normally given in the annual Statements on Defence. The statement for 1955 will be issued in February next.
§ Mr. ShinwellIs the right hon. Gentleman not undertaking an entirely new review of the situation and, if so, is it being conducted separately or in conjunction with N.A.T.O.? Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether, as a result of a review of this kind there is any prospect of a reduction in military expenditure in the coming year?
§ Mr. MacmillanI am only carrying on the normal review which goes on all the time, and which was carried on by my predecessor. I do not think that we can reach any final conclusions until the Estimates are published in February.
§ Mr. ShinwellIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that N.A.T.O. is now conducting a review, and surely the United Kingdom situation is being taken into consideration in that review?
§ Mr. MacmillanYes. That review is going on and we hope that it will be brought to some fairly final stages at the end of next month. But, of course, we have many other commitments as well as the N.A.T.O. commitments.