HC Deb 16 November 1976 vol 919 cc538-9W
Mr. Onslow

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the cuts in defence expenditure, actual and projected, that have been made since 1st March 1974, in each of the armed services, tabulated on an annual basis and indicating separately and specifically each reduction in spending on manpower, equipment and research development of over £1 million in any one year.

Mr. Mulley

The total cuts are shown in the reply given yesterday to the hon. Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks). Details of the main defence review reductions in planned expenditure, by Service, were given in the 1975 and 1976 defence White Papers (Cmnd. 5976 and 6432) and in the Report of the Expenditure Committee on the Defence Review (HC 259 of March 1975). Some details of the reductions resulting from the 1975 Public Expenditure Survey were given to the House on 20th February 1976. More information will be published shortly. The reductions announced in July 1976 are being worked through the programme in course of the preparation of the Defence Estimates for 1977–78.

Rear-Admiral Morgan-Giles

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he intends to take to overhaul and simplify type approval programmes for synchro and servo components used in Ministry of Defence contracts.

Dr. Gilbert

At the beginning of the year the Ministry of Defence commissioned the Electrical Research Association to study this question Following its report we have taken the lead within NATO in making proposals to our allies for simplifying type approval programmes.

Rear-Admiral Morgan-Giles

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he intends to take to modify type approval programmes for synchro and servo components, so that these shall be acceptable to main contractors in other countries of the EEC.

Dr. Gilbert

The purpose of type approval programmes is to ensure that components conform to NATO standards. These tests, therefore, ensure that the equipments conform with the standards set by those EEC countries who are also members of the Alliance.