§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what responses have been made by his Department to requests and reports received from the United Nations Special Commission of Inspection in Iraq or its executive chairman, Rolf Ekeus; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 26 November 1992]: The Government have made a significant contribution to the work of the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq as it seeks to implement relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. In response to UNSCOM's requests we have supplied personnel for the UNSCOM inspection teams and some specialised equipment. It is not our practice to comment in detail on the information given to us by UNSCOM.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what provision he has made for the payment of bad debt on exports to Iraq of military and dual-use exports to Iraq in the period 1985 to 1990 covered by(a) short-term and (b) medium-term cover provided by the Export Credits Guarantee Department.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 26 November 1992]: ECGD does not make separate provisions against loss for particular categories of goods. ECGD made total provisions of £695.9 million in relation to Iraq business in its 1990–91 accounts. The 1991–92 accounts are currently being audited and will be laid before Parliament in January next year.