§ Ann ClwydTo ask the President of the Board of Trade for which countries in respect of which at least one arms export licence application was rejected, no arms export licences have been granted since May 1997. [44334]
§ Mrs. RocheThe Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated and the following results were obtained. Between 2 May 1997 and 10 May 1998, six countries were the stated consignee or end-user destination on one or more refused applications for Standard or Open Individual Export Licences that covered goods subject to export control by being listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, but were not the stated consignee or end-user destination on any such licence issued in that period. These countries were Armenia, Croatia, Iran, Nigeria, Paraguay and Sudan.
This information should be considered in light of my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint), 30 October 1997, Official Report, columns 870–71. It does not, of course, include Media OIELs, which are Open Individual Export Licences authorising the export to all destinations of protective clothing, mainly for the protection of aid agency workers and journalists when working in areas of conflict. If Media OIELs were taken into account, no countries would meet the definition.