§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries have benefited from(a) the Defence Military Assistance Fund, (b) the Defence Policy Fund and (c) the Defence Sales Fund since 1988; and what criteria have been used for disbursements from (i) the Defence Policy Fund and (ii) the Defence Sales Fund. [46490]
§ Mr. SpellarI refer my hon. Friend to the letter from my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces, sent to my hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) on 7 May 1998, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. The letter sets out those countries which have received support from the Defence Policy Fund, the Defence Sales Fund, the Defence Military Assistance Fund and other centrally administered funds in the period since 1988.
The Defence Policy Fund was an MOD-administered scheme to provide military assistance at no or a reduced cost to selected countries, generally outside the NATO area, in support of defence policy objectives. The criteria
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Review Chaired by Date established Review of the Contribution of Scientists and Engineers to the Public Understanding of Science, Engineering and Technology Sir Arnold Wolfendale FRS January 1995 Prior Options Review of the Royal Observatories Professor Ian Halliday, University of Wales, Swansea July 1995 The Scientific Group on the Environmental Impact of Deep-Sea Disposal of Offshore Structures Professor John Shepherd, Southampton Oceanography Centre October 1995 Prior Options Review of the Central Laboratories of the Research Councils Dr. David Fisk, Chief Scientist, Department of the Environment November 1995 Prior Options Review of Public Sector Research Establishments: Agriculture and Plant Science Steering Group1 Professor Tom Blundell, then Chief Executive, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council November 1995 Prior Options Review of Public Sector Research Establishments: Marine and non-Marine Environment Steering Group2 Dr. Ian Graham-Bryce, Principal, University of Dundee January 1996 used in considering requests against the Fund included the extent to which the UK's strategic interests and defence involvement might have caused us to respond positively to a request for assistance, whether the UK either enjoyed or expected to require valuable defence facilities, whether the UK retained formal defence commitments or links, and the general state of our relations with the country.
The Defence Sales Fund was designed to assist in the promotion of defence exports by reducing or waiving charges for training related to specific sales which had been secured or were in clear prospect.