§ Mr. WrayTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what Government regulations apply in respect of the licencing for manufacture in other countries of Land Rover vehicles; and to what extent human rights are taken into account in respect of the licencing arrangements. [17787]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorIt is a matter for manufacturers' commercial judgment as to whether they wish to have their products manufactured overseas under licence. Vehicles and related equipment specially designed or modified for military use and components therefore specially designed or modified for military use are controlled under schedule 1, part 1, group 1 of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (category ML 6). Exports of equipment and technology for the production of all goods specified in group 1 of the Export of Goods (Control) Order are also controlled under category ML18. Any application for a licence to export such vehicles, equipment or technology would be considered against internationally agreed criteria governing the control of exports of military equipment. These criteria include consideration of the human rights record of the country to which the goods would be exported. There are military equipment embargoes imposed by the European Union against Burma and China which were put in place as a result of those countries' record on human rights.