Clause 7 - Control powers: supplementary
Export Control Bill
4:30 pm
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot, Conservative)
I have some sympathy with what the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) is trying to do. He cited some interesting examples of export licences being approved with a subsequent change in the regime making the position difficult. However, we must be reasonable and sensible about the limitation on our powers. A Government may be friendly at one moment and we may want to provide military assistance by making British defence products available, but we cannot determine for ever the complexion of that Government. Some of us foresaw what would happen in Zimbabwe, and said so many years ago, but in other cases it would not have been possible to foresee 10 or 15 years ahead that a coup would take place and an undesirable Administration would succeed an Administration we had deemed to be desirable and worthy of military support. It is self-delusion to imagine that by providing a power of revocation in the Bill we shall be able to avoid some of those events about which some feel embarrassed.
In fairness to the previous Conservative Government—I hope that this will be able to be said of this Government in 15 or 20 years—there have been few occasions when we have sold military equipment that has subsequently been used against us. In the case of the Iraq, we were discussing Hawk aircraft, which are training aircraft. The Hawk 200 does have a potential ground-to-air capability. However, we are talking about Hawk training aircraft in Zimbabwe; we are not discussing intercontinental nuclear ballistic missiles. The United Kingdom's record has been pretty good. We can be proud of the judgment that has been exercised by previous Governments in taking the advice of civil servants and other professionals in the field.
We ought to serve a clear warning that simply writing on the face of the Bill that there will be a power of revocation will not, in itself, prevent that which the hon. Gentleman is concerned about. Indeed, even if one writes the power of revocation into the Bill, the Government must exercise that power. They must say that they will renege on the contract. The truth is that as far as Zimbabwe is concerned we have withheld supplies of the Hawk aircraft, while we imposed other conditions on Indonesia. However, if we get a reputation as an unreliable supplier, do not be surprised if other countries do not want to do business and prefer to take their orders to other countries that are more than happy to do business and have far fewer scruples than us. I do not mean third-world countries; I mean countries such as France and the United States. Let us be under no illusions. It is not simply a question of being able to prevent the undesirable from happening. It requires decisions and judgments, which will, we hope, stand the test of time, to be made today—but that will not always be possible.