HC Deb 15 March 1999 vol 327 c508W
Mr. Alan Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what gifts of weaponry have been made by the United Kingdom Government to(a) overseas Governments and (b) armed forces since 1 January 1990. [76044]

Mr. George Robertson

According to central records, gifts of weaponry by Her Majesty's Government to overseas Governments and armed forces since 1 January 1990 are as follows(a) Overseas Governments:

  • Australia—Gannet MkT5 aircraft
  • Belize—Harrier GR3, stores and equipment (which included ammunition)
  • Canada—FV 433 Abbott, 4 x Ferret scout cars, 2 x Chieftain main battle tanks, and other (unspecified) armoured vehicles
  • Chile—Harrier GR3 aircraft
  • Czechoslovakia—Phantom aircraft
  • Germany—Harrier, Phantom, Hastings aircraft, FV 432 armoured vehicle,
  • Ferret scout car, 2 x Centurion main battle tanks
  • Jordan—Hunter aircraft (and spares)
  • Luxembourg—25 pounder gun
  • Lebanon—500 x self loading rifles
  • Norway—Canberra aircraft
  • Nepal—70 x light machine guns, self loading rifles and light machine guns, ancillaries for light machine gun
  • Romania and Bulgaria (gifted through the Western European Union)—combat support boats,
  • Zimbabwe—1000 rounds of ammunition
(b) Armed forces:
  • Baltic Peacekeeping Battalion—anti-tank weapons
  • France—AR Martel missiles
  • Netherlands—rifle
  • Nepal—15 x Ferret scout cars, Ferret spares

Our records do not show whether an item listed as gifted to an overseas Government was destined for that Government's armed forces. Most of the larger items of equipment shown as gifted to overseas Governments were surplus and were destined for national museums or to museums having official status.