HC Deb 29 March 1976 vol 908 c384W
Mr. Blaker

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the percentage of the defence budget spent on personnel and on equipment, respectively; and what is his estimate of the comparable percentages for the Soviet Union.

Mr. Mason

As shown in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1976—Cmnd. 6432, Chapter I, paragraph 98—it is estimated that in 1976–77 some 45 per cent. of the defence budget will be devoted to manpower and some 36 per cent. to equipment. Because of the covert nature of Soviet policy, similar figures are not available for the USSR.