§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the year-end cumulative surplus or deficit and the year-end total of provisions for the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each year from 31 March 1986.
§ Mr. NeedhamThis information is reported in ECGD's annual trading accounts copies of which are in the Library of the House; the 1992–93 accounts will be laid before the House later this month.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what provision was made in the expenditure plans for 1993–94 of the Export Credits Guarantee Department for writing off irrecoverable debts from Iraq; and what provision was made for 1994–95 and 1995–96 in the public expenditure plans of November 1992 and those recently published.
§ Mr. NeedhamECGD's trading operations do not constitute a charge on public expenditure and as such there is no provision for any such costs in ECGD's public expenditure plans.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total exposure of the Export Credits Guarantee Department in respect of exports to Iraq(a) up to the invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and (b) subsequently; how much of this exposure has so far been written off as irrecoverable; and in which financial years this was done.
§ Mr. NeedhamECGD's total exposure on Iraq is now estimated at £652 million of which £521 million relates to claims paid outstanding for recovery. ECGD's 1991–92 accounts included a provision for loss equivalent to 93 per cent. of exposure on Iraq; the 1992–93 accounts are still being audited.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if Export Credits Guarantee cover was obtained to184W support the financing of the British-Jordanian defence sales agreements; and how payments insurances cover was provided for.
§ Mr. NeedhamECGD provided support for two defence equipment lines of credit to Jordan which were signed in 1986 and 1987 respectively.