Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy regarding the release of information on the long-term costings of the defence budget.
§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleThe 10-year costing of the defence programme—known as the long-term costing—is designed for internal planning purposes. Approval to commit expenditure is subject to separate procedures and endorsement by Ministers as appropriate. To avoid giving a misleading impression as to the firmness of our plans we would not therefore normally provide details of the contents of the long-term costing.