§ Mr. BennettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5020 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27487]
(2) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 1 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27460]
(3) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 5 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27464]
(4) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 9 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No.3092; [27468]
(5) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 14 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27472]
(6) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 16 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI. 1992 No. 3092; [27474]
(7) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 23 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27478]
(8) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5021 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27483]
(9) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5028 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27491]
(10) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 26 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27480]
(11) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5002 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27481]
(12) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5001 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27490]
(13) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 3 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27462]
57W(14) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 7 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27466]
(15) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 11 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27470]
(16) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 18 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27476]
(17) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5029 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27485]
(18) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5017 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27488]
(19) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 2 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27461]
(20) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 6 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27465]
(21) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 10 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of SI 1992 No. 3092; [27469]
(22) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 15 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27473]
(23) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 17 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27475]
(24) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 24 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27479]
(25) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5006 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27484]
(26) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 20 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27477]
(27) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5018 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 or S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27482]
58W(28) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5027 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27489]
(29) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 4 in group 4 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27463]
(30) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 8 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27467]
(31) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as ML 13 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092; [27471]
(32) how many export licence applications, by country, were approved in 1993 for the export of goods defined as PL 5014 in group 1 of part III of schedule 1 of S.I. 1992 No. 3092. [27486]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe hon. Gentleman will appreciate that his questions involve a very large quantity of statistical information. I shall provide the information which he has asked for, to the extent that it is available on my Department's databases. However, the task involved in gathering and collating the data is a considerable one. I shall therefore send the information, in tabular form, to the hon. Gentleman. I shall also arrange to have a copy placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 24 May,Official Report, column 676, if he will state the number of cases in which end-use certificates, end-use statements or international import certificates were not insisted upon for military list goods; if he will identify the companies concerned; and if he will make a statement. [27701]
§ Mr. Ian Taylor[holding answer 9 June 1995]: A full answer to the hon. Member's question could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, some work has been done on this issue in my Department on a sample basis. I refer the hon. Member to my answer given today to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) for further details of the sample survey commissioned last month by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade into the supporting documentation supplied with export licence applications for military list goods during the period 1986–90.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the President of the Board of Trade on how may occasions between 1985 and 1990 his Department received representations from right hon. or hon. Members in support of applications for export licences in respect of military list goods for export to Iran and Iraq. [27550]
§ Mr. Ian Taylor[holding answer 9 June 1995]: It would be possible to determine on how many occasions between 1985 and 1990 my Department received representations from right hon. or hon. Members in support of applications for export licences in respect of military list goods for export to Iran and Iraq only by combing a very large number of files, and each individual export licence over the period. This exercise could be undertaken only at seriously disproportionate cost.
59W
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 24 May,Official Report, column 676, how many applications for export licences in respect of military list goods to Iran and Iraq between 1985 to 1990 were specifically drawn to the attention of Ministers; and how many of those approved by Ministers did not provide end-use certificates, end-use statements or international import certificates. [27702]
§ Mr. Ian Taylor[holding answer 9 June 1995]: It would be possible to determine how many applications for export licences, in respect of military list goods to Iran and Iraq between 1985 and 1990, were specifically drawn to the attention of Ministers only by combing a very large number of files, and each individual export licence over the period. This exercise could be undertaken only at seriously disproportionate cost and time.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many military list export licences applications were the subject of his recent internal inquiries into the possible absence of full documentation; and if that sample was focused on particular countries or types of product. [29166]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe full results are set out of the sample survey commissioned last month by the President of the Board of Trade into the supporting documentation supplied with export licences.
The survey was set up as follows. A randomly selected sample was taken of 10 per cent. of all military list export licence applications for the following destinations: Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Portugal, Thailand and Cyprus. There was no focus on particular types of product. The figure of 74 per cent. quoted in the President's statement was an average of the figures for 1986 to 1989.
Military list licences 1986–90 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Government applications 19 24 20 23 7 Private applications 25 37 45 29 25 Total 44 61 65 52 32 Number supporting documents (Governments) 13 19 12 7 4 Number supporting documents (private) 25 30 40 19 22 Number supporting documents (total) 38 49 52 26 26 Percentage of applications with no supporting documents 86 80 80 50 81 The results are also set out of a similar survey commissioned last month by the President of the Board of Trade for all BMARC export licence applications between 1986 and 1989. The figure of 36 per cent. quoted in the President's statement is an average of the figures for BMARC for 1986 to 1989.
60W
BMARC licences 1986–89 1986 1987 1988 1989 (BMARC) 1989 (ASTRA) Government applications 59 96 70 31 24 Private applications 65 73 58 15 13 Total 124 169 128 46 37 Number of supporting documents (Government) 14 8 4 5 3 Number of supporting documents (private) 43 46 42 9 9 Number of supporting documents (total) 57 54 46 14 12 Percentage of applications with no supporting documents 46 32 36 30 32
§ Mr. Millerto ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his oral statement of 13 June,Official Report, columns 595–606, if he will list those cases amongst the 74 per cent. of the applications to which he referred which have subsequently been discovered to have an end use in a nation with which his Government have an arms embargo. [29102]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorI refer the hon. Member to my answer given today to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) for further details of the sample survey commissioned last month by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade into the supporting documentation supplied with export licence applications for military list goods during the period 1986–90.
All licence application forms contain a question requiring a statement of end use and the ultimate consignee.
The purpose of my officials in examining this relatively small random sample of 254 export licences was to take a quick check on the state of export licence administration in the DTI over the period 1986–90. They were not asked to investigate the final destination of the goods covered by the licences. This would not have been part of their duties. The investigation of alleged breaches of export controls is a matter for Customs and Excise in its role as an independent prosecuting authority of the Crown.
There are boxes on the export licences application forms which ask the applicant to state both the end use and the end user of the goods in question. My Department has no evidence to suggest that the goods relating to any of the licences sampled ended up anywhere other than as stated on the application form. It would be entirely wrong to assume from the figure of 74 per cent. given in my right hon. Friend's oral statement on 13 June that a large proportion of exporters misled my Department.