HC Deb 09 July 1982 vol 27 cc217-8W
Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing, for each year from 1979–80 to 1982–83, the amount of defence expenditure which was made in Wales.

Mr. Blaker

As I explained in my reply of 6 April—[Vol. 21, c. 312]—defence expenditure is not accounted for on a regional basis.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing for the current year, or the nearest available year, the defence expenditure per head of population, in £ sterling equivalent, for each of the countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the European Economic Community and for Norway, Sweden and Finland, Austria and Switzerland.

Mr. Blaker

The most up to date information available for countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is as follows:

Defence spending per head, 1981
Country £
United States 360
France 220
United Kingdom 217
Norway 199
Country £
Germany 187
Belgium 168
Netherlands 158
Denmark 138
Greece 117
Canada 104
Italy 75
Luxembourg 63
Portugal 41
Turkey 33

Note:

These figures are provisional and based on NATO definition of defence expenditure. They are expressed at average 1981 exchange rates. Defence spending for Iceland is negligible; Spain was not a member of NATO in 1981.

Comparable information is not available for non-NATO countries. For information concerning these countries I refer the hon. Member to the International Institute for Strategic Studies publication "The Military Balance 1981–82".