§ 22. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish in HANSARD as detailed information as may be readily available showing the extent to which the Government have since October, 1964, been able to reduce the costs and manpower figures of the defence services; and to what extent the Government's forward planning or defence cuts are likely to save sterling and costs on the balance of payments.
§ Mr. HealeyFull details of the financial savings on the Defence Budget were given to my hon. Friend the Member for78W Lewisham, North (Mr. Moyle) on 28th February, 1969. We will have saved £2,000 million on the programme we inherited during the five years up to and including the present financial year. Compared with October, 1964, the active military and civilian strength of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Services has declined by a total of over 100,000 or 12½ per cent. On the latter part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to Chapter 5, paragraphs 12 to 14, of "The Task Ahead" published earlier this year.—[Vol. 778, c. 378.]