§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to release information relating to long-term costings; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HanleyThe 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 normally provide details of the contents of the long-term costing.