HL Deb 13 July 1998 vol 592 cc7-8WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish a table showing the amounts of money written off by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in respect of defence contracts in each of the years 1979–80 to 1997–98. [HL2377]

Lord Clinton-Davis

ECGD does not maintain information on amounts of debt written off in a way which would enable it, other than at disproportionate cost, to relate these write-offs to the type of goods covered under the original contracts.

I can however advise the noble Lord that the total amounts written off by ECGD in each year since 1988–89 were as follows:

Year Total Amount written off £ million Amount attributable to Commercial Causes of Losses £ million Amount attributable to Political Causes of Loss £ million Political Amount attributable to Debt Forgiveness £ million
1988–89 66.2 40.9 25.3 0
1989–90 59.9 59.8 0.1 0
1990–91 38.5 37 1.5 0
1991–92 47.9 44.9 3 0
1992–93 45.4 0.7 44.7 25.4
1993–94 71.9 36.1 35.8 0
1994–95 525.4 61 464.4 450.6
1995–96 51.5 21.2 30.3 14.1
1996–97 173.1 44.1 129 118.9
1997–981 106.8 24.1 82.7 81.2
1 1997–98 figures are provisional pending finalisation of ECGD's Accounts for last year.

An analysis in this format is not available for years prior to 1998–99.