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Arms Exports

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level is of debt owed by developing countries to the Export Credits Guarantee Department as a result of UK defence-related sales. [62037]

Ms Hewitt: For business underwritten by ECGD since 1991, the following amounts are outstanding in respect of ECGD claims payments in cases involving exports of defence equipment. Information on claims on business underwritten before 1991 is not held on a sectoral basis. Amounts outstanding on Algeria and Indonesia have been rescheduled through the Paris Club.

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£ million

Market	Claims Outstanding (as at 31 March 2002)
Algeria	0.1
Indonesia	488
Zimbabwe	0.9

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to her Department regarding the increases of national debt in (a) India and (b) Pakistan due to the importation of weapons from the United Kingdom in (i) each year since 1999 and (ii) January to June 2002. [65431]

Nigel Griffiths: The Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation has received representations regarding the export of arms and other items controlled for strategic reasons to India and Pakistan from a number of different sources, including Members of Parliament and the general public. It is not possible to say whether any of these concerned increases in national debt in India and Pakistan, as the information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she takes to assess conformity with the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports during the evaluation of arms export licence applications. [65432]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.

The Government announced the consolidation of the UK national export licensing criteria with those in the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports in a statement by my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Peter Hain) on 26 October 2000, Official Report, column 199–203W. We assess all applications on a case-by-case basis against these consolidated criteria. In doing so, we take account of reliable evidence, including, for example, reporting from diplomatic posts, relevant reports by international bodies, intelligence and information from open sources and non-governmental organisations. In addition, the EU Code of Conduct requires member states to inform partners of licence refusals under the EU Code through the circulation of denial notifications. The code requires member states to consult partners before approving a licence for a transaction refused by those partners. This helps further to ensure conformity within the EU when assessing export licence applications.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Guildford (Sue Doughty) of 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 684W, on arms exports, which countries received export credit guarantee coverage for arms sales in each of the last five years; and how much export credit guarantee coverage each country received. [66556]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 3 July 2002]: The table shows for financial years 1996–97 to 2000–01, the markets where ECGD has provided support for the export of defence equipment and the maximum liability of the guarantees issued for each market.

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Year/market	ECGD maximum liability (£ million)
1996–97
Australia	0.9
Bahrain	1.4
Indonesia	148.2
Korea, Republic of	13.6
Lithuania	1.5
Qatar	5.5
Saudi Arabia	225
Turkey	2
1997–98
Egypt	8.8
Germany	1.3
Greece	18.7
Indonesia	18.6
Italy	2.7
Korea, Republic of	62.4
Kuwait	55.7
Lithuania	2.9
Oman	0.9
Qatar	193.2
Saudi Arabia	225
Singapore	18.6
Thailand	27.3
Turkey	35.6
United Arab Emirates	9.8
United States	58.3
1998–99
Brazil	29.3
Brunei Darussalam	580.3
India	14.3
Indonesia	9.7
Italy	1.5
Korea, Republic of	19.7
Malaysia	16.2
Oman	21.1
Saudi Arabia	1,000
Sweden	4
United States	6.9
1999–2000
Chile	2
Greece	5.4
Kuwait	29.7
Malaysia	123.2
Oman	226.4
Saudi Arabia	1,000
Turkey	214.9
2000–01
Greece	55.3
Saudi Arabia	1,000
South Africa	1,624.7

Trade Partners UK

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what role Trade Partners UK has in connection with defence equipment exhibitions in the UK and overseas; and if she will make a statement. [66554]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 3 July 2002]: Government support for defence related exports remain the responsibility of the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO). Trade Partners UK activities support DESO where appropriate in overseas markets. Support for defence equipment exhibitions overseas is available through Trade Partners UK's Support for Exports and Seminars Abroad (SESA) and Inward Missions schemes.

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Defence Equipment (Export Credits)

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outstanding amounts of ECGD guarantees were in respect of defence equipment, broken down by country, for financial year 2001–02. [62711]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 19 June 2002]: The table lists amounts outstanding as at 31 March 2002 in respect of ECGD guarantees for exports of defence-related equipment. These figures, which are net of sums already repaid, are made up of future maturities (amounts yet to fall due for payment) and claims outstanding. Claims outstanding are in respect of business underwritten from 1991 onwards as ECGD does not hold claims information on cases supported before this date on a sectoral basis.

£ million

Market	ECGD amount outstanding
Algeria	0.1
Brazil	27
Brunei Darussalam	204
Chile	17.1
Egypt	10.4
Greece	62.3
India	8.3
Indonesia	694.4
Italy	4.2
Korea, Republic of	21.4
Kuwait	7
Lithuania	0.7
Malaysia	104.9
Oman	315
Qatar	36.2
Saudi Arabia	1,000
South Africa	860.6
Spain	23
Sweden	4.1
Thailand	2.9
Turkey	237.7
United States	38
Zimbabwe	0.9

Engineering

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to tackle the gender inequality in salaries for (a) full time and (b) part time employees in the engineering sector. [63662]

Ms Hewitt: The Government are already taking a number of steps to further reduce the pay gap between men and women which currently stands at 18 per cent., for full-time workers, down from the figure of 20 per cent. in 1997.

As well as the introduction of the national minimum wage and the provisions in the Employment Bill, the Fair Pay Champions and Castle Awards are helping to spread good practice on equal pay. All Government Departments are committed to carrying out a pay review by March 2003 and we are also taking forward recommendations from the Kingsmill Report.

80 per cent. of Britain's 6 million part-time workers are women. The Part-Time Workers Regulations, introduced in July 2000, ensure that part-timers are no longer treated as second class citizens. The regulations establish a minimum standard of fairness for part-timers so that they

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can no longer be treated less favourably than the full-timers they work alongside. The regulations cover conditions such as pay, pensions, training and holidays.

The Equal Opportunities Commission is developing practical tools for employers wishing to investigate their pay systems such as an Equal Pay Review model; a Code of Practice, Guidance Notes and an Opportunity Now/Equal Pay Forum.

I have no separate proposals to tackle gender inequality in salaries for professionals in the engineering sector where figures in the year 2000 showed that the gender pay gap was also 18 per cent.

Industrial Support

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the methodology her Department uses to allocate industrial support resources, including staff and direct financial investment, takes into account the growth potential of industrial sectors. [63805]

Ms Hewitt: Following the DTI review, we are strengthening our analytical capability to ensure our resources are targeted on those parts of the economy which will contribute most to driving up UK productivity and competitiveness and where our support will make the greatest difference. In deciding resource allocations a range of factors is considered, including growth indicators.

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