HC Deb 19 September 2002 vol 390 cc136-42W
Mr. Galloway

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many revocations of arms export licences to Israel there were in each month since January 2000; in what categories they were; and if she will make a statement. [71386]

Nigel Griffiths

The number of Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) where licences were revoked or whose coverage was amended by the exclusion of Israel, for items on the Military List, in each month between January 2000 and June 2002, is set out in the table below.

Individual licences might cover a range of items with various ratings. Where this is so, the licence is included in the tables in the total of all of the relevant ratings.

ML1 ML2 ML4 ML6 ML9 ML10 ML11 ML13 ML22 PL5006 PL5017
January 2000
February 2000
March 2000
April 2000
May 2000
June 2000
July 2000
August 2000
September 2000
October 2000
November 2000
December 2000 2 1 1
January 2001
February 2001 1 2 2 3 2 3 1 2
March 2001 1 1 1 1 1
April 2001
May 2001
June 2001
July 2001
August 2001 1 1 2 1 2
September 2001
October 2001
November 2001
December 2001
January 2002
February 2002
March 2002
April2002
May 2002
June 2002

During the same period no Standard Individual Export Licences, for items on the Military List, were revoked where the end user was in Israel. In addition, Israel has been removed from the coverage of one Open General Export Licence, for items on the Military List, details of which are available from the Libraries of the House.

Since the publication of the 2001 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls it has come to light that two OIELs for items on the Military List, which were revoked or whose coverage was amended by the exclusion of Israel, were inadvertently omitted from the Report.

Mr. Menzies Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value is of licences granted for equipment on the military and dual-use lists to(a) Georgia, (b) Uzbekistan, (c) Kyrgyzstan, (d) Tajikistan, (e) Turkey, (f) the Philippines, (g) Kenya, (h) Ethiopia, (i) Djibouti, (j) Bahrain, (k) Oman, (1) Jordan, (m) Yemen, (n) India, (o) Pakistan and (p) Israel in each month from January 2001 to June 2002; and if she will make a statement. [65098]

Ms Hewitt

[holding answer 8 July 2002]: The total value of SIEL applications for which a licence was issued, is published by destination in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are placed in the Libraries of the House. The 2001 Annual Report will be published soon.

Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many individual export licence applications have been outstanding for more than (a) three months; (b) six months and (c) one year. [66504]

Nigel Griffiths

[holding answer 2 July 2002]: The Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation (ECO) was processing 1,584 applications for individual export licences as of 1 July 2002, of which 312 Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) applications and 84 Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) applications had been outstanding for more than three months; of those, 51 SIEL and 42 OIEL applications had been outstanding for more than 6 months; and, of those, 19 SIEL and 13 OIEL applications had been outstanding for more than one year.

As a result of its programme of continuous improvement the ECO has, in partnership with other Government Departments, substantially reduced the time taken to process all applications, and in particular the most complicated and sensitive cases. The number of SIEL applications taking more than 6 months to finalise is less than a third of the figure at the same time last year.

Angus Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many arms export licences were(a) requested and (b) granted for exports to Belarus (i) from 1997 to August 2001 and (ii) since August 2001; and if she will make a statement. [73163]

Mr. Wilson

Between 2 May 1997 and 31 August 2001 no Standard Individual Export Licence (S1EL) applications and 4 Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) applications were received, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in Belarus. Between 1 September 2001 and 15 July 2002 no SIEL applications and 2 OIEL applications were received, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in Belarus.

The number of SIELs and OIELs issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in Belarus, between 2 May 1997 and 31 December 2001 are published in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls. Copies of the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 Annual Reports are available from the Libraries of the House.

Between 1 January 2001 and 31 August 2001, no SIELs or OIELs were issued, for items on the Military List, where the end user was in Belarus. Between 1 September 2001 and 15 July 2002, no SIELs and 1 OIEL was issued, for items on the Military List, where the end user was in Belarus.

This information should be considered in light of the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche) to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 30 October 1997, Official Report, columns 870–71.

Angus Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many arms export licences were(a) requested and (b) granted for exports to the Ukraine (i) from 1997 to August 2000 and (ii) since August 2000; and if she will make a statement. [73162]

Mr. Wilson

Between 2 May 1997 and 31 August 2000, 14 Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) applications and 8 Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) applications were received for items on the Military List, where the end users were in the Ukraine. Between 1 September 2000 and 15 July 2002, 4 SIEL applications and 5 OIEL applications were received for items on the Military List, where the end users were in the Ukraine.

The number of SIELs and OIELs issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in the Ukraine, between 2 May 1997 and 31 December 2001 are published in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls. Copies of the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 Annual Reports are available from the Libraries of the House.

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 August 2000, 2 SIELs and no OIELs were issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in the Ukraine. Between 1 September 2000 and 31 December 2000, 1 SIEL and 1 OIEL were issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in the Ukraine. Between 1 January 2002 and 15 July 2002, no SIELs and 2 OIELs were issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in the Ukraine.

This information should be considered in light of the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche) to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 30 October 1997, Official Report, columns 870–71.

Angus Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many arms export licences were(a) requested and (b) granted for exports to (i) Georgia and (ii) Russia in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [73164]

Mr. Wilson

The number of Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) applications and Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) applications received, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in Georgia and Russia, in each year since May 1997 is as follows:

Georgia Russia
Siel Oiel Siel Oiel
2 May 1997 to 2031 December 1997 1 1 12 3
1998 4 0 20 2
1999 2 0 10 2
2000 2 1 18 3
2001 0 2 18 4
1 January 2002 to 15 July 2002 0 0 8 1

The number of SIELs and OIELs issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in Georgia and Russia, in each year since May 1997 are published by destination in the Government's Annual Reports in Strategic Export Controls. Copies of the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls are available from the Libraries of the House.

Between 1 January 2002 and 15 July 2002, no SIELs and 2 OIELs were issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in Georgia. During that same period 5 SIELs and 4 OIELs were issued, for items on the Military List, where the end users were in Russia.

This information should be considered in light of the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs Roche) to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 30 October 1997, Official Report, columns 870–71.

Norman Lamb

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the types of equipment for which export licences were granted on 8 July in respect of exports to the USA of defence-related equipment; and if she will state the countries to which this equipment will be exported from the USA once incorporated into other defence equipment. [69112]

Nigel Griffiths

[holding answer 11 July 2002]: The types of equipment for which Standard Individual Export Licences and Open Individual Export Licences were issued on Monday 8 July 2002, where the end user or consignee was in the United States of America, for items on the Military List, was as follows:

  • ML1
  • ML2
  • ML6
  • ML7
  • ML9
  • ML10
  • ML15

In addition, USA is a permitted destination on certain Open General Export Licences covering the export of items on the Military List; copies of all Open General Export Licences are placed in the Libraries of the House.

In taking decisions to issue these licences, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, acting through the Export Control Organisation, took into account the information available to her on the stated final destination of defence-related goods into which the goods licensed for export from the UK were to be incorporated, where relevant. These potential final destinations were Israel, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. It should however be noted that final decisions on exports of defence equipment from the United States of America are for the US exporter and Government.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping) on 8 July 2002 Official Report, columns 650–52W.

Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many open individual export licences are valid for the export of arms to India. [66502]

81. Nigel Griffiths

[holding answer 2 July 2002]:

Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many individual export licence applications for the sale of armaments to India have been received by her Department since 1 May; and how many have been approved. [66503]

Nigel Griffiths

[holding answer 2 July 2002]: 118 Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) applications and no Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) applications for items on the military list.

Year Market/Sectors Companies Projects
1997–98 USSR/Civil Mis. Bank of Scotland HSBC Bank plc Lloyds TSB Morgan Grenfell and Co Ltd National Westminster Bank Elctronics plant Food processing plant Line of Credit (*3) Modernisation and Expansion of Acrylic Fibre plant Polypropylene plant Steel Mill Train Information System Vehicle design and development
Total Claims §53.2m
1998–99 USSR/Civil Misc. Bank of Scotland HSBC Bank plc Lloyds TSB Morgan Grenfell and Co Ltd National Westminster Bank Electronics plant Line of Credit (*3) Modernisation and Expansion of Acrylic Fibre plant Polyprophylene plant Steel Mill Train Information System Vehicle design and development
Total Claims §46.1m
1999–2000 USSR/Civil Misc. Bank of Scotland Deutsche Bank AG London Electronics Plant Line of Credit Polypropylene Plant Vehicle design and development
Total Claims §37.8m
2000–01 Jordan/Civil Misc. J Henry Schroder and Co Ltd
Total Claims §37.8
1999–2000 Philippines/Civil Aerospace Credit Agricole Indozuez Civil Aircraft
Total Claims §14.9m
1999–2000 Indonesia/Civil Misc. ANZ Banking Group Ltd Barclays Bank plc Citibank International plc HSBC Bank plc Lloyds TSB West LB Airport Security Equipment Bridges Coal Handling Terminal Diesel Generators Hydroelectric Power Station Navigational Aids Radio Studio Equipment Search and Rescue Equipment Ship Loading Equipment TV Studio
Vacuum Metalliser Total Claims §14.5m
1999–2000 Indonesia/Civil Aerospace Barclays Bank plc Citibank International plc Lloyds TSB Civil Aircraft Flight Simulator
Total Claims —14.5m
1999–2000 Indonesia/Defence ANZ Banking Group Ltd HSBC Bank plc Airforce Training Facility Armoured Vehicles

38 SIELs and 1 OIEL for items on the military list were issued.