To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the percentage of gross domestic product spent on defence will be in the United Kingdom after the proposed reductions are implemented; and what information he has on the comparable proportion of gross domestic product spent on defence in France and Germany, allowing for cuts planned in the same period by these countries.

Plans announced last autumn showed the percentage of gross domestic product spent on defence reducing from 4 per cent. in 1990–91 (excluding expenditure on the Gulf deployment) to 3·4 per cent. in 1993–94. These plans are being reviewed during this year's public expenditure survey in the light of the further work that has taken place to refine the "Options for Change" proposals. No information is yet available on future levels of gross domestic product to be spent on defence by France. Although Germany has announced plans for defence spending to 1994, no forecasts of German gross domestic product are avaialable for that year for comparison with United Kingdom figures.