§ Mr. BennettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assistance the United Kingdom is providing to help manufacturers of mining equipment to win orders in Iran; and what is the comparable provision made by the German Government and agencies for German firms.
§ Mr. NeedhamMy Department is providing support to the Association of British Mining Equipment Manufacturers (ABMEC) to attend the international fair of mining machinery in Teheran and is at present considering inward mission sponsorship for the sector.
Short and medium-term export credit cover is available on the usual "first some first served" basis. My Department has also provided overseas project funding in the last year to assist in the pursuance of a United Kingdom bid for a large mining project in Iran.
The German Government and agencies are subject to the same OECD criteria as the United Kingdom, but I am unable to comment more specifically on German Government policy concerning Iran.