§ Patrick MercerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with allies about dealing with the proliferation of surface-to-air missiles; and what actions he proposes to take. [87845]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe states participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement, including the United Kingdom, recognising the special danger posed by such weapons, adopted specific export control guidelines for Man-Portable Air Defence Systems in December 2000.
All military listed arms exports are strictly licensed under the EU Consolidated Code of Conduct.
The Government continue to work with other parties to strengthen regulation of the arms trade and stop illegal proliferation, particularly where there is a danger that arms might leak to terrorists.