To ask the President of the Board of Trade what level of export credit guarantees extended to companies in or the Government of Nigeria has been claimed by United Kingdom companies; and what is the estimated cost to the taxpayer. [9822]

[holding answer 16 January 1996]: As at 31 December, 1995 the Export Credits Guarantee Department had paid claims on Nigeria of £1,840 million which were yet to be recovered, the ECGD's records are not held in a way that enables it to arrive at a cumulative total of all claims which it has ever paid on Nigeria.Such claims paid by the ECGD on its trading operations do not represent a direct charge against public expenditure, although to the extent payments by the ECGD in any one year exceed receipts there is a corresponding increase in the PSBR.