§ Mr. Terlezkiasked the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) military equipment, (b) industrial equipment and (c) chemicals have been sold to (i) Iran and (ii) Iraq over the past five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIt has been the consistent policy of this and previous Administrations not to reveal details of specific defence exports to other countries. Any sales to Iran and Iraq would of course be subject to the guidelines set out in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in reply to a question by the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Steel).
On the question of industrial equipment and chemical exports to Iran and Iraq I refer the hon. Member for Cardiff, West to the publication "Overseas Trade Statistics for the United Kingdom" which can be found in the Library. The figures relating to industrial equipment come at table 5. division 71–74. Those for chemicals are shown at Table 5, Divisions 51 and 52.
§ Mr. Terlezkiasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he intends to make representations to the European Economic Community countries to inquire what military equipment, industrial equipment or chemical products are being sold to Iran and Iraq; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNo. Most Governments do not make public details on defence sales, nor are defence sales covered by the Treaty of Rome. Statistics on exports of industrial equipment and chemical products from European countries are published by the European Commission in Eurostat, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.