§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the total amount spent by his Department for each of the last 30 years expressed: (i) in money terms and (ii) as a percentage of GNP.
§ Mr. MasonI refer the hon. Member to the Treasury analysis of public expenditure46W in successive editions of the Central Statistical Office publication " National Income and Expenditure " for the historical run of Defence Budget outturn from 1959–60. Table 14 in the same publication shows defence expenditure on goods and services on a constant price basis, and Table 1 sets out the Gross National Product by calendar years. A breakdown of the Gross National Product by quarters for the years from 1955–56 is given in the Central Statistical Office publication " Economic Trends—Annual Supplement 1975 ".