ELECTRIC SHOCK WEAPONS: ALDERSHOT EXHIBITION

HL Deb 28 July 1982 vol 434 cc347-8WA

Lord Brockway

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether at the recent arms exhibition at Aldershot electric shock weapons, usable for torture, were on sale; how many and to whom were they sold; and whether they are stocked for use by the British armed forces.

Viscount Trenchard

Some anti-riot equipment was on display at Aldershot. Equipment of this kind is strictly controlled under export licensing arrangements, and display at Aldershot does not imply that sales would be approved. Any application would be subject to the closest scrutiny with particular reference to human rights implications, but none have been made as a result of the exhibition. The British forces do not stock and have no requirement for this particular anti-riot type of equipment.