§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a statement of 1990 attributed to the Foreign Secretary that, "Governments who persist with repressive policies should not expect us to support their folly with scarce aid resources" and that of a Ministry of Defence spokesman quoted in the Independent on 17th February 1992 that, "The sale of defence equipment is considered on a case by case basis, we take all factors, including human rights into account" correctly describe their policies in these matters.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)It continues to be the Government's policy to take account of respect for human rights, alongside other factors, when deciding where aid should be allocated. This also applies when the Government considers applications for the sale of defence equipment.