Defence Spending

HC Deb 17 July 2001 vol 372 cc145-6W

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the level of defence spending is forecast to be as a proportion of gross domestic product in 2003–04. [3938]

Mr. Ingram

The settlement for defence announced in the Spending Review last year planned for the first sustained growth in defence expenditure for more than a decade. In 2003–04 defence expenditure is expected to represent 2.3 per cent. of GDP.