§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of world conventional arms transfers are conducted by firms from the countries (and allowed by the governments), represented at the G7 meeting; and, in the light of the description of the transfers as "excessive" in the G7 communiqué, what steps the G7 governments are now proposing to take to reduce conventional arms transfers promoted by their own arms industries.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe estimate that the countries at the G7 meeting (with Russia) account for about 90 per cent. of world conventional arms transfers. The chairman's statement noted that "the excessive transfer of conventional arms, in particular to areas of conflict, is one of our main preoccupations". The UK, like other countries at the meeting, is committed to responsibility in conventional arms transfers.