Mr. Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing the annual actual expenditure on defence, and the percentage it represents of the gross national product for each year since 1946.
§ Mr. HealeyActual expenditure on defence year by year is as follows:
Year Net expenditure (£ million) 1946–47 1,643 1947–48 847 1948–49 753 1949–50 735 1950–51 801 1951–52 1,123 1952–53 1,392 1953–54 1,358 1954–55 1,447 1955–56 1,407 1956–57 1,518 1957–58 1,439 1958–59 1,451 1959–60 1,484 1960–61 1,603 1961–62 1,684 1962–63 1,756 1963–64 1,809 1964–65 1,898 1965–66 2,052 Over the years there have been changes to the conventions used in attributing expenditure to the defence budget, but substantially the figures are consistent with one another.
198WRegarding the proportions of gross national product represented by defence expenditure I would refer the hon. Member to the table published in the OFFICIAL REPORT for 3rd December, 1965, and to the reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) given on 24th February, 1967.—[Vol. 721, c. 281-2; Vol. 741, c. 362.]