§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they require contracts for the export of British small arms and light weapons to be conditional on importing states destroying equivalent quantities of old or obsolete weapons. [HL2752]
§ Lord BachThere is no such requirement. However, under the programme of action agreed at the UN Conference on Small Arms in July 2001, the UK is spending £19.5 million over three years on practical projects to support its national, regional and global implementation. An important element of this is weapons collection and destruction programmes, often as part of country or regional action plans. The UK, for example, is providing £7.5 million for the UN Development Programme's Weapons Collection, Management and Destruction Programme.