§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for City of Durham (Mr. Steinberg) of 9 March 2004,Official Report, column 1401W, on defence contractors, what contracts for the supply of equipment have been awarded to RUAG and are currently in operation; what action has been taken to enforce the contract under which supplies were suspended by the Swiss Government during the Iraq war; and for what reason he maintains no records centrally of similar contract breaches by other suppliers to his Department. [161778]
§ Mr. IngramThere are currently three contracts in place with RUAG Ammotech GMBH, a wholly owned business subsidiary of RUAG, for the supply of ammunition and components. No action was taken against the company in respect of deliveries of 40 mm grenades suspended during the hostilities in Iraq, as this recognised the Swiss Government's long standing policy of neutrality. There was no impact of the operational effectiveness of British forces as available stocks were more than adequate to cover the Operation Telic requirements.
The incidents of similar contract breaches by other suppliers to the Ministry of Defence as a result of action by foreign governments is considered to be so low, that there is considered to be no value in collecting this type of information.