§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's budget for pay within the Defence Operating Costs Budget for 1999 –2000. [82514]
§ Mr. George RobertsonThe disclosure of information on planned expenditure on pay at this stage in the financial year could reveal internal assumptions about increases in the pay bill while negotiations on civil service pay for the current year are continuing. I am therefore withholding the information requested under exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.