§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he initiated steps to remove controls on the export to Macedonia of all-wheel drive utility vehicles, heavy duty recovery vehicles and drop-sided trucks; and what assessment he has made of the effect this ban has had on relief efforts. [86734]
§ Mr. Tony LloydThe controls set out in Group 3, Part 1, Schedule 1 of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 prohibit the export of certain vehicles to the Republic of Macedonia without an export licence. These controls do not constitute a ban. We do not believe that they have had a significant effect on the current relief effort in Macedonia.
We began the process of lifting these controls in April 1999 in order to assist relief organisations working in Macedonia. Since then we have fast tracked relevant licence applications to allow the speedy export of vehicles for relief work in Macedonia.