§ Mr. Soamesasked the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of gross domestic product will be spent on the defence programme in 1988–89 compared with 1978–79 and 1985–86.
§ Mr. StanleyI shall reply shortly.
§ Mr. Soamesasked the Secretary of State for Defence what savings would accrue to the defence programme by cutting the surface fleet to 42 ships.
§ Mr. StanleyThe savings would depend on a range of assumptions, such as the composition of the surface fleet remaining and the period of time over which this reduction was made. Such a reduction in the size of the surface navy is not under consideration and the carrying out of hypothetical costing exercise would involve disproportionate costs.