§ Mr. Powellasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will indicate the items which, together with the £220 million summarised last August, produce the total savings of £400 milion which he intends to make in the prospective defence budget for 1969–70.
§ Mr. HealeyI would refer the right hon. Gentleman to Part I of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1966 (Cmnd. 2901).
§ Mr. Powellasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing, on a consistent basis, the proportion of the gross national product spent on defence in each of the 10 calendar years to 1965, or financial years to 1965–66, if more convenient.
§ Mr. HealeyDefence budget expenditure as a percentage of GNP in the last ten financial years has been:
Year Per cent. of GNP 1956–57 8.1 1957–58 7.3 1958–59 7.1 1959–60 6.8 1960–61 6.9 1961–62 6.9 1962–63 6.9 1963–64 6.6 1964–65 6.5 1965–66 (estimated 6.6
§ Mr. Powellasked the Secretary of State for Defence what rate of growth of the gross national product between 1965–66 and 1966–67 is assumed in his forecast that the proportion spent on defence will fall from 6.8 to 6.6 per cent.
§ Mr. HealeyAbout 5 per cent. in money terms.