§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role the Association of Chief Police Officers played in the(a) establishment and (b) management of the Home Office Export Initiative. [20022]
§ Mr. MichaelThe then President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) was asked in October 1995 if the Association wished to nominate a representative of the police service to help establish and manage the Home Office Exports Initiative. ACPO was duly represented on the ISG by a member of the Surrey Police.
§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which trade associations were involved in the(a) establishment and (b) management of the Home Office Exports Initiative. [20040]
§ Mr. MichaelThree trade associations were represented on the Home Office Exports Initiative Steering Group: the Association of Police and Public Security Suppliers (APPSS); the British Security Industry Association (BSIA); and the Police Information Technology and Communications Suppliers Association (PIT ACS A). All three were instrumental in establishing the Initiative, having met senior officials in the Home Office in September 1995 to determine its future strategy.
§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he decided to end the Home Office Exports Initiative. [20041]
§ Mr. MichaelThe decision to end the Home Office Exports Initiative was taken in the context of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review. My right hon. Friend considered that the Initiative did not sit happily with the core functions of the Department, particularly when viewed against the substantial support for exporting given by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if goods and services supplied under the Home Office Exports Initiative were subject to normal Export Control procedures. [20021]
§ Mr. MichaelYes. Where the supply of the goods or services concerned were subject to control, a licence would have been required.
10W
§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the United Kingdom police forces which participated in the Home Office Exports Initiative. [20031]
§ Mr. MichaelPolice forces in England and Wales were represented on the Home Office Exports Initiative Steering Group by Surrey Police. In addition, officers from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Metropolitan Police, Surrey Police and Wiltshire Constabulary participated in overseas trade exhibitions sponsored by the Initiative.
§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which(a) police, (b) security and (c) paramilitary forces of foreign governments, were supplied with goods and services under the Home Office Exports Initiative; and what consideration was given to the human rights record of governments concerned. [20030]
§ Mr. MichaelInformation abut the goods and services exported by companies assisted by the Home Office Exports Initiative is not available. I am informed that where a licence was required for the supply of goods or services under the Initiative, it would have been issued only if that was consistent with the Government's policy at the time.
§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis companies were chosen to participate in the Home Office Exports Initiative; and if he will publish the criteria which were used to evaluate the suitability of companies to participate in the Initiative. [20020]
§ Mr. MichaelI am informed that the services of the Home Office Export Promoter and activities sponsored by the Initiative were open to all companies in the policing and security sector.