§ Mr. Marksasked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of gross 53W national product is spent by each of the NATO countries on (a) NATO commitments and (b) other defence commitments.
§ Mr. PymOn the basis of original defence budget estimates for 1979–80, some 90 per cent. of defence expenditure, or approximately 4¼ per cent. of gross domestic product, is devoted to our forces deployed in the NATO area and about 5 per cent., or approximately one-quarter of 1 per cent. of gross domestic product, to our forces stationed elsewhere. The balance of expenditure is for Service pensions, which does not relate to the current defence effort and cannot, therefore, be realistically allocated between NATO and non-NATO forces. Comparable information regarding our NATO allies is not available.