§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licences have been(a) requested, (b) granted and (c) revoked for arms to Indonesia since May 1997; and how many Hawk Fighter bombers were covered by these licences. [91215]
§ Dr. Howells[holding answer 13 July 1999]: Further to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Audrey Wise) on 2 July 1999, Official Report, columns 313–14, concerning licences issued between 2 May 1997 and 18 June 1999 for the export of military equipment to Indonesia; none of these licences covered the export of Hawk aircraft.
Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) routinely cover exports to a number of countries. Any country initially specified on an OIEL application but not included as a permitted destination on the licence is not recorded on the Export Control Organisation's computer databases. Accordingly, the number of applications for OIELs covering exports to any particular country could be established only by manual examination of the paper records of all of the applications made in the period, which would entail disproportionate cost.
Between 2 May 1997 and 18 June 1999, 114 applications were received for Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) covering the export to consignees or end-users in Indonesia of goods subject to export control by being listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, the so-called Military List. None of these applications covered Hawk aircraft. In the same period, no Standard or Open Individual Export Licences covering such exports were revoked.