§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are satisfied that assault rifles sold by the United Kingdom companies to Turkey, or manufactured there under licence from United Kingdom companies, would not be used for purposes of internal repression. [HL2110]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanWe are not aware to date of any request to export such items from the UK under this Government. All such applications to export, including those to Turkey, are considered in accordance with the Criteria to be Used in Considering Export Licence Applications for the Export of Conventional Arms, as announced by the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997, (Official Report, Commons cols. 26–30), and in accordance with the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Sales. The UK national criteria state quite clearly that we will not issue an export licence if there is a clearly identifiable risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.