§ Lord Cheshamasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the guidelines on the sale of defence equipment have been modified.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe detailed criteria used in considering licence applications to export conventional arms are currently under review. The new criteria will be made available to the House when the review is complete. In the meantime, officials have been instructed to consult Ministers whenever there are export licence applications which may raise concerns about human rights or international stability.