§ 21. Mr. RobathanTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made as to the extent of to which the peace dividend has now been exhausted.
§ Mr. Hanley"Peace dividend" is not a term that my Department uses, because peace itself is a dividend from a150W continuous investment of national and international resources. In the face of continuing uncertainty in the strategic setting, the Government's security and defence policies aim both to meet existing and future challenges in the most effective way possible, and to make a suitable contribution to peace and stability worldwide, with the purpose of maintaining the freedom and territorial integrity of the United Kingdom and its dependent territories and its ability to pursue legitimate interests at home and abroad. The proportion of national resources which will be required to meet these goals cannot be predicted absolutely. On present plans, defence expenditure is expected to be about 2.9 per cent. of gross domestic product in 1996–97.