HC Deb 12 May 1987 vol 116 cc178-9W
Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the total cost of resisting the terrorist campaign since 1969.

Mr. Scott

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1987, c. 392]: One cannot give any completely reliable figure for the total costs incurred by a number of different Departments and agencies in resisting the terrorist campaign since 1969. However, the following table gives some indication of the scale of expenditure involved:

Year Additional Cost1 of Deploying the Armed Forces in support of the RUC (£'000) Expenditure1 by the NIO on Law, Order, Protective and Miscellaneous Services2 5 (£'000)
1969–70 1,500 n/a
1970–71 6,500 n/a
1971–72 14,000 n/a
1972–73 29,000 n/a
1973–74 33,000 n/a
1974–75 45,000 99,529
1975–76 60,000 146,030
1976–77 65,000 165,383
1977–78 69,000 172,536
1978–79 81,000 199,317
1979–80 96,000 240,781
1980–81 111,000 299,696
1981–82 3149,000 334,446
1982–83 134,000 351,177
1983–84 141,000 365,959
1984–85 134,000 394,382
1985–86 127,000 436,333
1986–87 150,000 4480,300

Notes:

n/a=not available.

1 All figures are in actual terms.

2The LOPMS budget includes expenditure on items (eg civil defence) not directly related to the terrorist campaign, and the bulk of LOPMS expenditure (eg on the RUC and on prisons) does not all arise from the terrorist campaign.

3The basis for calculating the armed forces additional costs was changed in 1981–82.

4 This figure is still an estimate.

5Other Departments (eg the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Attorney-General's office) incur expenditure in Northern Ireland which arises from the terrorist campaign and which is not included in this table.