§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many licences for strategic exports have been refused or revoked since July 1997 for exports of goods and technologies in connection with licensed production agreements. [103761]
§ Dr. HowellsInformation on decisions to refuse export licence applications and to revoke licences is set out in458W the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
It would entail disproportionate cost to identify which, if any, of the goods covered by applications refused and licences revoked since 2 May 1997 are intended for use in connection with overseas manufacturing facilities operating under a commercial licence issued by a UK company.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many additional assurances have been sought in the last three years, in connection with the granting of export licences, that goods and technologies will not be re-exported from licensed production facilities to countries of concern; and what the legal status is of these assurances. [103762]
§ Dr. HowellsLicences to export arms or other goods controlled for strategic reasons are issued by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, acting through the Export Control Organisation of the Department of Trade and Industry. All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by the DTI to other Government Departments with an interest, as determined by their policy responsibilities. These include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development.
If, when an application is being considered, the Export Control Organisation of my Department is advised that additional information is required, for example specific supplementary end use assurances, the applicant is informed and the decision on their application is taken in light of the information subsequently received. Where an application concerns goods intended for use in connection with an overseas facility in which particular goods will be manufactured under a commercial licence issued by a UK company, that fact is not recorded on the Export Control Organisation's computer databases.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what representations he has received concerning the use by United Kingdom companies of overseas licensed production facilities to supply weapons to countries in conflict; [103671]
(2) what assessment he has made, during the consultation phases for new legislation on strategic export controls, of current US legislation regulating licensed production, with particular reference to the re-export of goods from licensed production factories; [103670]
(3) what plans the Government have to introduce legislation for the control of exports of controlled goods from licensed production facilities abroad. [103672]
§ Dr. HowellsA number of non-governmental organisations raised the issue of licensed production overseas in their responses to the 1998 White Paper on Strategic Export Controls. All the written responses to the White Paper were published by the Government on 30 November 1998, except for two for which complete confidentiality was requested.
459WThe Government are considering the question of controls on licensed production overseas as part of their review of the proposals contained in the White Paper. In the course of this review the Government are looking at United States legislation regulating licensed production overseas.
The Government will announce proposals for new export control legislation, following conclusion of the review of the White Paper proposals.