§ 31. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West giving details of the substantial quantities of British arms sold and despatched to Argentina up to and including October 1981; what further supplies have been sent since and up to what date; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattieI have received the letter and will reply shortly. In the exceptional circumstances of the Falklands crisis, I have informed the House in general terms of defence sales to Argentina since 1977. I do not, however, propose, certainly during the present operation, to change the practice, upheld by successive Governments, of not disclosing details of individual defence sales.