§ 45. Mr. McKelveyasked the Secretary of State for Trade which countries were granted export licences for British military equipment in 1980; and what was the number and total value of contracts for British military equipment signed in 1980 in the case of each country for which a relevant export licence was granted in that year.
§ Mr. Peter ReesIt has been the normal practice of successive Governments not to disclose the destinations of goods covered by export licences or the volume of defence sales to particular countries. Export licences are in fact issued to firms rather than countries. Many are not taken up in the same year as they are issued, or in the year when the relevant order was secured.