§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the proportions of ECGD money spent on promoting and underwriting the sales of British(a) high tech products, (b) pharmaceuticals and (c) defence and defence-related products. [15979]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 14 November 1997]: Since the privatisation of its short-term operation in 1991, direct ECGD support for new export business has been confined to the capital goods and projects field. Such business is generally "high tech" in nature.
From information readily available, ECGD has no record of having supported exports of pharmaceuticals since the short-term privatisation.
The proportion of new ECGD business which related to defence or defence-related products in each of the last three years was 21 per cent. in 1994–95, 23 per cent. in 1995–96, and 16 per cent. in 1996–97.