§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assurances his Department seeks to ensure that explosives exported from the United Kingdom are not used in the production of anti-personnel landmines. [87956]
§ 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 these departments in line with 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.
All applications for licences to export goods entered in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 are assessed against the criteria announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary for State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 28 July 1998, Official Report, columns 26–29, and the European Union Code of Conduct on Arms Exports.