§ 28. Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the impact on development programmes of the availability of small firearms. [147666]
§ Clare ShortThe ready availability of small arms has a direct and negative impact upon levels of crime and conflict in developing countries. We are supporting various peace building and disarmament initiatives that address small arms and other conflict related problems, including work to ensure a successful outcome to the "UN 2001 Conference on The Illicit Trade In Small Arms and Light Weapons: All Its Aspects".