§ 24. Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether defence spending as a proportion of gross national product is moving in the opposite direction to the estimated ratio in Warsaw Pact countries.
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§ Mr. MasonOver the last five years total defence expenditure by NATO countries has fallen as a proportion of GNP. Over the same period it is estimated that the defence expenditure of the USSR, which accounts for the bulk of the Warsaw Pact, has been increasing, and I drew attention to the implications in my last defence White Paper.
§ 33. Mr. Mayhewasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will confirm that any future defence cuts will include no uniformed personnel.
§ Mr. William RodgersOn current plans the future uniformed strengths of the Forces will be substantially as announced in the 1975 defence White Paper.
§ 35. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has recently had on the costs of Great Britain's defence services; and, in particular, in relation to the British contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
§ Mr. MasonI have nothing further to add to the reply I gave earlier this afternoon to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdare (Mr. Evans) and to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mr. Goodhart).