§ Mr. CatonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the items of military equipment gifted to the Government of Nepal since January 2000. [170991]
§ Mr. IngramI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 12 March 2004,Official Report, column 1789W by my hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Rammell) which listed all equipment gifted to the Government of Nepal under the Global Conflict Prevention Pool. In addition to this, a Departmental Minute has recently been placed before the House of Commons setting out the intention to gift two Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) Islander aircraft, radios and Explosive Ordnance Disposal equipment to the Government of Nepal.
§ Mr. CatonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the methods the Government employs to ensure that military helicopters it has provided to the Royal Nepalese Army are only used for logistical, medical and humanitarian purposes. [170992]
§ Mr. IngramA letter of agreement was signed by the Nepalese Chief of the Army Staff and by HM Ambassador. This set out the understanding on which the two MI-17 transport helicopters were being gifted to the Government of Nepal. In particular, it was specified that the helicopters were being gifted as part of the non-lethal support the UK provided to support the Government's campaign against the Maoist insurgency. It was further agreed that combat and attack roles were precluded for the lifetime of the aircraft, and that the helicopters would only be used for logistic, humanitarian and medical purposes. We have no grounds to believe that the aircraft gifted by the UK have been misused.