§ Dame Judith Hartasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for which countries there are at present restrictions on export credit guarantees.
§ Mr. ChannonThe economic problems being experienced in a considerable number of the United Kingdom's export markets limit the level of commitments that the Export Credits Guarantee Department can, prudentially, assume on them given its remit to operate at no net cost to the Exchequer. The Department regularly reviews its policy towards markets and aims to relax such restrictions as soon as justifiable. (The Department's assessments are made in consultation with the Export Guarantees Advisory Council in respect of its "commercial account" operations under section 1 of the Export Guarantees and Overseas Investment Act and with the inter-departmental export guarantees committee for its "national interest" operations under section 2 of the Act.)
It has been the policy of successive Governments not to publish the terms on which export credit guarantees are made available for particular markets.