HL Deb 30 July 1998 vol 592 cc225-6WA
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will clarify the extent to which the end-use control, relating to goods which may be used in connection with the development of weapons of mass destruction, applies to the supply of goods to destinations subject to binding United Nations arms embargoes. [HL3152]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

Council Regulation (EC) No. 3381/94 and the Dual-Use and Related Goods (Export Control) Regulations 1996 prohibit the export from the UK to any destination of dual-use or other goods which the exporter has been informed by a competent authority are or may be intended, wholly or in part, or which the exporter knows are intended, wholly or in part, to be used in connection with the development, production, handling, operation, maintenance, storage, detection, identification or dissemination of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or the development, production, maintenance or storage of missiles capable of delivering such weapons, and also where the exporter has grounds for suspecting that the goods might so be used. These provisions are known as the end-use control.

Under UK law, all binding UN embargoes are implemented by Military List which forms Part III of Schedule I to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, as amended.

In addition, the Orders in Council implementing in UK law the binding UN embargoes against Liberia, Somalia, Libya, Angola and Rwanda also prohibit the supply by persons in the UK or by UK nationals or companies overseas of goods which are or may be intended to be used in connection with the development, production, handling, operation, maintenance, storage, detection, identification or dissemination of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or the development, production, maintenance or storage of missiles capable of delivering such weapons.

This statement supplements the information given to the House on the scope of arms embargoes observed by the UK by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey in another place, on 20 March 1997 (Official Report cols. WA 75–77); and by myself on 28 January 1998 (Official Report cols. WA 36–39). An updated version of the list of the Government's commitments regarding the application of strategic export controls, covering this point and other recent changes, has been laid in the Library.