To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the British contribution to NATO's Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps is in cash terms in the current financial year; and what it is as a proportion of the defence budget. [8185]

The estimated cost of UK forces assigned to the ARRC, and the headquarters costs, is some £2 billion in the current financial year, or some one tenth of the defence budget. These forces include 1 and 3 Divisions, 24 Airmobile Brigade and support troops, which could contribute to a number of missions, under both NATO and non-NATO command, in support of the Government's security and defence policies.