§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
What the total government expenditure on defence in the years 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 and what are the expected totals for 2003–04 and 2004–05, expressed in a table showing the figures in current and constant terms and indicating the percentage of gross domestic product for each year. [HL2298]
§ Lord BachDefence spending for these years in current and constant terms can be found in Table 6 of theGovernment's Expenditure Plans 2003–04—2005–06 for the Ministry of Defence (Cm 5912).
Defence spending as a percentage of GDP for the period 2000–01 to 2004–05 is:
- 2000–01: 2.4 per cent
- 2001–02: 2.4 per cent
- 2002–03: 2.3 per cent
- 2003–04: 2.3 per cent
- 2004–05: 2.3 per cent
The Ministry of Defence plans to publish updated figures in the Government's Expenditure Plans 2004–05—2005–06 for the Ministry of Defence in May 2004.