§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department was given new powers to object to proposed arms exports; what these powers entail; and if she will make a statement. [63846]
§ Clare ShortLicences to export arms are issued by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (DTI). The Export Control Organisation of the DTI is the licensing authority. A number of Departments provide advice; DFID has done so since September 1997. The Department for International Development's (DFID) interest in export licence applications is primarily that the proposed export does not seriously undermine the economy of the recipient country; and also that the equipment is not used for purposes of internal repression or external aggression. We focus our efforts on examining applications to poor countries.