§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the cost per head of the population and per average family of four persons of this year's arms estimates and of each year since 1960;
(2) what is the annual increase per head of the population and per family of four persons of this year's arms estimates and of each year's arms expenditure since 1960 compared with the previous year.
§ Mr. JohnFigures of expenditure on military defence for the calendar years 1960 to 1973 are set out in Table 14 of "National Income and Expenditure 1963–1973", at constant (1970) prices. On this576W basis a comparison can be made per head of population as follows:
Expenditure per head (£) 1960 52.2 1961 53.4 1962 55.3 1963 54.7 1964 53.8 1965 54.0 1966 52.5 1967 54.8 1968 51.8 1969 46.5 1970 43.7 1971 43.8 1972 43.7 1973 43.1 Increase/Decrease 1960 - 1961 +1.2 1962 +1.9 1963 -0.6 1964 -0.9 1965 +0.2 1966 -1.5 1967 +2.3 1968 -3.0 1969 -5.3 1970 -2.8 1971 +0.1 1972 -0.1 1973 -0.6 Figures for families of four are not readily available over the period. The provisional total of military defence for 1974, on the same price base, is £2,355 million, or £41.9 per head of population. Information on military defence and population for 1975 on a comparable basis is not yet available.
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the percentage increase in this year's arms estimates over the previous year's arms expenditure compared with the percentage increase in the cost of all goods and services in that period.
§ Mr. JohnThe increase at 1974 survey prices from provisional outturn, 1974–75, to Estimates, 1975–76, is 3.9 per cent. The element for inflation in the 1975–76 Estimates is 22.9 per cent. This compares with the increases in the indices of Retail and Wholesale Prices and Basic Weekly Wage Rates and Average Earnings of between 17 per cent. and 27 per cent.