§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidelines covered the provision by United Kingdom companies of computer services for the Iraqi air force immediately before the outbreak of the Gulf war; what dispensation had been(a) sought by and (b) given to the ICL company at West Gorton, Manchester; and if he will make a statement. [21295]
§ Mr. LangThe provision of services to Iraq before the imposition of UN sanctions in August 1990 was not controlled and there were no guidelines.
765WICL and other computer companies applied for many licences under the Export of Goods (Control) Orders to export computer equipment to Iraq. These applications are included in appendix A, part A of Sir Richard Scott's report and were considered in the same way as other equipment with potential for military use. Sir Richard Scott looks at some of the licence applications submitted by ICL in sections D2.403.10 and D6.269.76 of his report.