§ Mr. Joel Barnettasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the information he gave in the defence debate, Official Report, 1 July, c. 1067, that the cost of current plans will be met from defence expenditure as already announced, including the 3 per cent. growth per annum, and not from additional funds provided from the general public expenditure Contingency Reserve, includes the replacement of losses sustained in the Falklands conflict; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NottIn response to the intervention by the hon. Gentleman the Member for Harlow (Mr. Newens)—[Vol. 26, c. 1067]—I was confirming that it was indeed possible, within the previously announced defence budget, to contain both Trident and the orders for the additional equipment to which I had referred in my speech. Replacement orders for the warships and equipment lost during the Falklands campaign, however, will be funded, as I had made clear earlier in my speech at c. 1066, from moneys additional to those required for the planned 3 per cent. annual growth in defence spending.