§ Lord Brockwayasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether three naval frigates are being refitted at the Vosper Thorneycroft shipyard at Portsmouth for sale to the Indonesian Navy; whether a licence has been issued for the sale; and, if so, whether they will reconsider these decisions.
1163WA
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Lord Trefgarne)I can confirm that three naval frigates are being refitted at Vosper Shipyards having been sold to the Indonesian Government by Her Majesty's Government. Export licences for the vessels are expected to be issued shortly.
We see no reason to reconsider our decisions about the sale and export of the frigates. They accord with the Government's policy on the sale of defence and defence-related equipment overseas, under which all sales are considered on a case by case, country by country basis on their merits with all relevant factors taken into account.