§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Government has spent on its participation in the United States-led development of a missile defence shield; and how much he plans to spend over the next year. [176375]
§ Mr. HoonFor the period up to 31 March 2004 I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 19 January 2004,Official Report, column 920W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch). For financial year 2004–05 expenditure by the United Kingdom on research specific to Ballistic Missile Defence technology will be in the order of £6 million.