§ Mr. Cookasked the Secretary of State for Trade how many end-user certificates received by his Department in 344W support of applications for arms exports have proved to be suspect on examination in the past 10 years; and if he is satisfied with the present safeguards against fraudulent end-user certificates.
§ Mr. ParkinsonIn most cases documents other than end-user certificates are used to authenticate arms transactions, and I am satisfied that all reasonable steps are taken to establish the good faith of applicants for export licences. If doubts arise about the integrity of any previous certificate purporting to have been issued on behalf of a particular country that is, of course, taken into account in considering further sales to that country. No statistical record of suspect certificates is kept.
§ Mr. Cookasked the Secretary of State for Trade on how many occasions he has evidence to suggest that arms exported from the United Kingdom have been diverted to countries other than the one stated on the end-user certificates.
§ Mr. ParkinsonNone, but every year a number of export licence applications for arms are refused because of doubts about the consignee.