Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he made of the ability of the Government of Qatar to obtain alternative funding for the import of (a) Typhoon and Hawk aircraft and (b) associated goods and services before providing UK Export Finance support.

UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) mission is to ensure no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance from the private sector, while operating at no net cost to the taxpayer.

It is normal for buyers to look to pay for very large capital expenditures over time in order to spread their costs over a manageable period. UKEF’s support was critical to ensuring the success of the Typhoon contract with the Government of Qatar.