§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the total defence expenditure and (b) the defence expenditure per head for each country in Europe.
§ Mr. BlakerThe information for European NATO countries is as follows:
Total Defence Expenditure $ million Defence Expenditure Per Head $ Belgium 3433 348 France 23816 442 Germany 23111 377 Greece 2286 238 Italy 8666 151 Luxembourg 48 131 Netherlands 4522 319 Norway 1647 402 Portugal 846 84 Turkey 2870 62 United Kingdom 25216 451 Information for Denmark is not available.
These figures are the latest estimates for 1981, taken from NATO sources, and they are expressed at average 1981 exchange rates. No comparable figures are available for other European, including Warsaw Pact, countries. However, it is estimated Mat the USSR, which accounts for the majority of Warsaw Pact defence spending, devotes some 12 to 14 per cent. of GNP to defence, compared with 5.0 per cent. of the GDP in the United Kingdom. The difference between GDP and GNP is not considered significant for the purpose of this comparison.