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Breathing Apparatus

Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce details of bodies to certify United Kingdom manufactured breathing apparatus in order for manufacturers to comply with the EC directive under article 100A.

Mr Leigh : Approved inspection bodies will be appointed once the implementing regulations are made. We hope to publish the regulations in draft for consultation in the near future.

Human Rights Records (Export)

Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration the Government pay to the human rights situation in a country prior to granting a licence for the export of equipment which is likely to be used for internal repression.

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Mr. Sainsbury : My Department receives expert advice from other Government Departments when considering whether to permit the export of virtually all military and paramilitary items in the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1991. This advice includes, where appropriate, consideration of the human rights record of the country of ultimate destination.

199?" Poster Campaign

Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the effects of the recent "199?" poster campaign advertising the DTI business hotline [phone].

Mr. Sainsbury : Whilst it is not possible to attribute calls to the hotline to the poster campaign there has been a significant increase in the number made. In the first three weeks of this year, there were nearly twice as many calls as in the same period last year--3,917 compared with 2,216.

Nuclear Industry

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 15 January, Official Report, column 571, if the commercial overseas services offered by the nuclear industry are eligible for export credit.

Mr. Sainsbury : Contracts for reprocessing spent fuel associated with the nuclear fuel industry can be considered in principle for export credit cover subject to satisfactory underwriting conditions.

Export Control Organisation

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which parts and groups of the Export of Goods (Control) Order were referred to in his answers on 26 April 1991, Official Report, column 595, to the hon.

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Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) and 21 October 1991, Official Report, column 312, to the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Cryer).

Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 23 January 1992] : The answer on 26 April 1991 covered group 1 of part II of schedule 1 of the 1989 order (now superseded by the 1991 order).

The answer on 21 October dealt with all goods in schedule 1 of the 1989 order.

Iran

Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what items are subject to an embargo on trade with Iran.

Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 22 January 1992] : Exports to Iran which require a licence under the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1991 are scrutinised rigorously in accordance with the policy notified to the House by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 29 October 1985 (Official Report, col. 450 ).

Instruments of Torture

Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement outlining the procedures used by his Department in examining a country's human rights record before equipment can be exported to a country under the remit of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1989.

Mr. Sainsbury : My Department receives expert advice from other Government Departments when considering whether to permit the export of virtually all military and paramilitary items in the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1991. This advice includes, where appropriate, consideration of the human rights record of the country of ultimate destination.

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