§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much(a) by value and (b) by percentage of the debt owed to the UK by HIPC countries is for defence-related business. [108708]
§ Mr. CabornDebt owed by Heavily Indebted Poor Countries to ECGD under Paris Club rescheduling arrangements amounts to £1.6 billion. In addition, non-rescheduled debt in arrears and current exposure is some £300 million. Much of the rescheduled debt relates to contracts entered into the 1970s and 1980s, when ECGD did not record exposure by the nature of the goods exported. However, recent researches indicate that the amount of debt, all rescheduled, currently owed by HIPCs and which resulted from military sales is only £12.7 million or 0.67 per cent. of the total.