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Dept of Trade and Industry

Answer

Audrey Wise: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the applications for arms sales to Indonesia which have been (a) allowed and (b) refused since 1 May 1997. [88590] Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply. Information on export licensing decisions between 2 May and 31 December 1997 was set out in the Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls, published on 25 March by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The entry in the relevant legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating. The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated and the following results were obtained. Between 1 January 1998 and 18 June 1999, 51 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and 20 Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) were issued covering the export to consignees or end-users in Indonesia of goods subject to export control by being listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, the so-called Military List. In the same period, two applications for such SIELs were refused: one covering goods rated ML1 and the other covering goods rated ML3. No applications for such OIELs were refused in full. Individual licences cover a range of goods with various ratings. Where this is so, the licence is included in the table in the total for all of the relevant ratings. Individual licences issued between 1 January 1998 and 18 June 1999 covering the export to Indonesia of goods on the Military List _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Rating Number of SIELs issued covering goods with Number of OIELs issued covering goods with this rating this rating ML1 3 0 ML2 5 0 ML3 3 0 ML4 1 1 ML5 1 1 ML6 1 1 ML7 1 0 ML9 2 3 ML10 19 8 ML11 11 8 ML13 2 0 ML14 2 1 ML15 2 1 ML21 2 3 ML22 1 3 PL5006 2 0 PL5017 2 1 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. This information does not cover any Media OIELs that may have been issued during this period. Media OIELs authorise the export to all destinations of protective clothing, mainly for the protection of aid agency workers and journalists, when working in areas of conflict. This information should be considered in light of the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, 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. In addition, the export to specified countries, including Indonesia, of specified goods on the Military List is permitted under certain Open General Licences; copies of all Open General Licences valid at any time during the period are in the Library of the House.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

88590; 334 c313-4W

Session

1998-99

Subjects

Applications Arms trade Indonesia

Contains statistics

Yes