§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what inquiries have been made at Davy Morris Cranes or Amersham International arising out of information from the United Nations special commission; and what was the result.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe names of many companies have been brought to notice by UNSCOM, many of which were engaged in legitimate trade with Iraq before the imposition of UN sanctions. All cases have been thoroughly investigated. It is, however, the policy of this and previous Administrations not to comment on individual cases unless public interest outweighs the need for confidentiality.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many investigations of wrongdoing have been carried out by the UN special investigators commission; and what subsequent action has been taken arising out of716W the provision of technology to Iraq discovered by UNSCOM.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe UN special commission and the International Atomic Energy Authority were tasked by the Security Council in 1991 to destroy, remove or render harmless all chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in Iraq, and all ballistic missiles with a range of more than 150 km. Over 110 missions have been carried out in Iraq covering hundreds of sites, at some of which British-made equipment has been found. But it is not our practice to comment in detail on information given to us by UNSCOM and the IAEA on companies which have traded with Iraq; particularly since many of them would have done so quite legitimately before the introduction of sanctions. Any evidence of wrongdoing will be investigated and, if substantiated, will be a matter for the courts.