§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Minister of State for Defence what increase has been made in defence expenditure since June 1970 and for each of the following years; what is the expenditure as a percentage of the gross national product: and what proposals he has to promote a reduction in expediture by attacking wasteful spending and in the negotiations on mutual and balanced force talks.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourFor the first of his points I would refer the hon. Member to Table 2B of Cmnd. 5178. This shows that, after allowing for the small increase between that White Paper and the actual Defence Estimates for the current year, defence expenditure, at constant prices, rose by about 5 per cent. between 1969–70 and 1973–74. The comparable increase for all public expenditure programmes is about 20 per cent. Over the period defence expenditure has represented between 5½ per cent. and 5½ per cent. of GNP.
It is the continuing objective of the Ministry of Defence to seek the best value for money for the defence programme. As to the last part of the Question, I have nothing to add to what I said in the defence debate on 10th May. [Vol. 856, c. 759.]