§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will now make it his policy to publish the names of the countries invited to the British Army equipment exhibition;
(2) whether countries with records of human rights violations and countries involved in armed conflict will be invited to the British Army equipment exhibition.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[pursuant to his reply. 20 May 1986]: It is the long-standing policy of successive British Governments to issue invitations to the British Army equipment exhibition on a confidential basis. I see no reason to depart from this policy. An invitation to the exhibition does not, of course, imply that we would necessarily allow the sale of the equipment on display.