§ Jane GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the export of arms to Iran. [44492]
§ Mr. FatchettThere has not been any change to current policy, as set out in the answer given by the Minister for State, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. King) on 28 January 1998,Official Report, columns 273–74. We will not approve licences for any equipment where there is knowledge or reason to suspect that it would go to a military end-user to be used for military purposes.
However, this department has recently approved the issue by the Department of Trade and Industry of a licence for the export of industrial gas turbine parts to Iran for civil end use. This particular industrial engine has been 246W developed from a military engine and is commonly used to drive pumps and electrical generators. The engine is not subject to export control when it is exported as a complete unit. However, when it is broken down into component form, a very small percentage of its parts are unchanged from their original form and, as military components, come within the scope of the UK' s arms embargo and are controlled under Part III of Schedule 1 to the Exports of Goods (Control) Order 1994. However, we are satisfied that Iran does not possess any aircraft powered by the original military engine, and that the risk of the components being diverted to use by the Iranian military is minimal. We have therefore approved the export.