§ 33. Mr. Arnold Shawasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the cost of recruitment for the Armed Forces in 1978–79; and what saving this represents in real terms in relation to expenditure in previous years.
§ Mr. WellbelovedOn the basis of current estimates at September 1977 prices, expenditure on recruitment to the Armed Forces during the financial year 1978–79 will be about £23 million. Discounting554W pay and price increases, this figure represents a saving of nearly £4 million over the corresponding figure for 1977–78.