§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, and how, the COCOM list of countries to which arms should not be exported for strategic reasons, has been amended since 1950; and if he will initiate a review of the list, and its strategic implications, in the light of world events in the intervening 28 years.
§ Mr. Judd:COCOM co-ordinates and unifies such controls on the export of strategic goods to certain countries as may be necessary to safeguard the interests and resources of its member States, in accordance with an informal understanding between them. The understanding itself precludes the disclosure by member States of its precise geographical coverage.
Goods subject to the United Kingdom's own domestic export controls, and the countries to which these controls apply, are set out in the Export of Goods Control Order which is periodically reviewed and republished to bring it in line with technological, political and strategic developments. The last review was completed earlier this year.