§ 36. Mr. Robin F. Cookasked the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis he has assumed that expenditure on defence by France and Germany will have increased to 4½ per cent. of gross national product by 1974–75; and what he expects to be the average percentage expenditure on defence of the European members of NATO other than Great Britain.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownAs to the first part of the Question, my right hon. Friend has made no such assumption. As to the second, the current average gross national product percentage expenditure on defence of the European members of NATO other than the United Kingdom is about 4 per cent.
§ Mr. Robin F. Cookasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report a table expressing expenditure on defence for each of the next 10 years both before and after the changes in policy announced in the defence review as a percentage of gross national product; and what is the assumed rate of growth for each of these years.
§ Mr. MasonI have nothing yet to add to my statement in the House of 3rd December and my hon. Friend's reply of 9th December to the right hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker). More detailed information will be given in the Defence White Paper.