§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what end-use monitoring his Department carries out on the re-export of small arms, manufactured under British licence production agreements, by(a) MKEK (Turkey), (b) Pakistan Ordnance Factories and (c) Brugger and Thomet (Switzerland). [61983]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe have no specific end-use monitoring arrangements on the re-export of small arms manufactured overseas under commercial licence from defence manufacturers located in the UK.
The Government focus their efforts on assessment of potential end-use at the export licensing stage, including where needed through checks made by our posts overseas. Carrying out effective risk assessment on end-users before making the export licensing decision is the surest way of preventing arms from falling into the wrong hands. The Government remain committed to carrying out end-use monitoring in those circumstances where this will genuinely add value to our efforts to minimise the risk of misuse and diversion and where such monitoring is practicable. Our overseas posts have standing instructions to report on allegations of misuse of any UK-origin defence equipment and to take this into account during the export licensing process.
783WLicensed production of arms overseas typically depends on the supply to the overseas producer of controlled component parts and technology by the company licensing the manufacture of its products. Any controlled equipment or technology exported from the UK to a production facility licensed under a commercial arrangement between a British company and an overseas company would be assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. Our criteria clearly set out our commitment to take account of the risk that exports might be diverted to an undesirable end-user or re-exported under undesirable conditions. The criteria were set out in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Peter Hain) to hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Laura Moffatt) on 26 October 2000, Official Report, columns 199–203W.
Any exports of controlled equipment or technology that take place under commercial licensed production agreements entered into by UK-owned defence manufacturers located overseas would be subject to the export control rules of the country in which those defence manufacturers are located.