§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what defence spending was as a percentage of United Kingdom gross domestic product in each year since 1980. [72576]
§ Dr. MoonieI refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 October 2001,Official Report, column 565W to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws). On the basis of provisional outturn for 2001–02, United Kingdom defence spending as a percentage of UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in that year is now estimated to be 2.5 per cent.
All the figures are based on cash outturn and include the unprogrammed cost of operations and other additions to the planned budget provided in Supplementary Estimates. They are not therefore comparable to forecasts of future defence spending as a percentage of UK GDP, based on the defence spending plans published in the White Paper "2002 Spending Review: New Public Spending Plans 2003–06" (Cm 5570).
§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected defence spending is, as a percentage of UK GDP, from 2002–03 to 2005–06. [725771
§ Dr. MoonieThe defence budget is expected to represent the following share of forecast GDP.
1112W
Financial year Percentage GDP 2002–03 2.3 2003–04 2.3 2004–05 2.3 2005–06 2.2 This reflects the defence budget expressed as 'near-cash spending in MOD DEL' in Table 12.1 of the White Paper "2002 Spending Review: New Public Spending Plans 2003–06" (Cm 5570), which is the most appropriate basis of comparison with forecast GDP. Outturn figures are likely to be higher than these plans, when the costs of operations and any other in-year additions are taken into account, and this would increase the share of GDP represented by defence spending in these years.
§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a breakdown of incremental 2002–03 defence spending announced in the 2002 comprehensive spending review by(a) type of expenditure, (b) country and (c) region of the United Kingdom in which this increase is likely to be spent. [72579]
§ Dr. MoonieThe 2002 spending review covered the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. Additional resources will also be made available during 2002–03 to enable us to manage the pressure arising from the high levels of activity in which we are currently engaged. but these will not be finalised until later in the year and it is therefore not possible to provide the breakdown requested.
§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the increase in defence spending announced in the recent comprehensive spending review will be spent on Trident in each year from 2002–03 to 2005–06. [72575]
§ Dr. MoonieDecisions on the allocation of the defence budget plans announced in spending review 2002 will be made in the normal way through the Ministry of Defence's annual planning process.
§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a breakdown of defence spending in each year since 1997–98 by each country and region of the United Kingdom in which it was spent. [72578]
§ Dr. MoonieThis information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.