§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people are employed in his Department in examining arms export licence applications. [97061]
§ Mr. HainLead responsibility for formulating the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's advice to the Department of Trade and Industry on individual export licence applications generally rests with the relevant geographical departments, in consultation with the Non-Proliferation Department and other functional departments as appropriate, in particular the Human Rights Policy Department and the United Nations Department. In some cases geographical departments may also consult overseas posts, for example to seek more information on proposed end-uses or end-users.
Against this background, it is not possible to give a precise figure for the number of officials involved. But a significant proportion of officials in geographical departments and in the relevant sections of the above-named functional departments have some degree of involvement in examining export licence applications. Nearly all such officials have other responsibilities which they fulfil alongside their role in export licence processing.