§ Lord HAMPTONasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the on-going estimate for annual United Kingdom defence expenditure which the Labour Government took over from the Conservatives in February 1974;
On what dates since February 1974 has the Labour Government cut defence expenditure and to what figure in each case.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMI would refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence in another place on 17th February 1978 (Official Report, Vol. 944, cols. 429–432).