§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list those Departments with responsibility for arms sales indicating the particular responsibilities in each case. [10518]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Departments most involved in matters related to defence exports are the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and HM Customs and Excise. The Defence Export Services Organisation, in the MOD, provides British defence exporters with the strongest possible Government support, within the framework of our defence, security and foreign policies. Licences to export controlled goods are issued by the President of the Board of Trade. All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by DTI to other Government Departments with an interest. These will normally include the FCO, MOD and Department for490W International Development. The DTI is also the sponsoring Department for the defence industry itself. It works closely with industry on the whole range of issues relating to its effectiveness. The FCO plays an active role in promoting British industry overseas and advises on the foreign policy implications of defence exports. Finally, HM Customs and Excise are responsible for the enforcement of export controls.