§ 25. Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is satisfied with the means used by his Department to record the value of arms sales to Nigeria, in view of the discrepancy between Her Majesty's Government's estimate and the official figures of Nigerian custom returns, which show an increase of more than £2 million between 1966 and 1968.
§ Mr. JenkinsWill my hon. Friend look again at the figures issued by the Nigerian authorities? Is it not the case that they are £2 million greater than the figures put forward by his hon. Friend in this House? If there is such a discrepancy, is it not the case that the failure to clear up the matter casts doubt on other Answers given by the hon. Gentleman's Department?
§ Mr. FoleyIt is not our practice to discuss detailed information about our sales of defence equipment to individual countries. The reason why, in a series of debates, we gave the approximate figure of 15 per cent. for Nigeria, was that wild and exaggerated statements in the country and in the Press had been made about our involvement there. We are not responsible for the Nigerian statistics. If my hon. Friend will examine them closely he will see that there is no reference in them to any purchases of arms from the Soviet Union. That, pre- 26 sumably, accounts for the misapprehension under which my hon. Friend is labouring.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsCan the hon. Gentleman tell us what the existing position is concerning the supply of arms to Nigeria? Are we still supplying them? What are they asking for? What arms have been supplied for their internal security?