§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons-related technology. [136771]
§ Mr. MacShanePreventing the spread of technology with WMD application is a high priority for the Government. All licences for the export from the UK of nuclear technology with possible weapons-related application are rigorously scrutinised. I refer the hon. Member to the Statement made by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) on 15 March 2002,Official Report, column 1298W.
The UK is a leading and active member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an international export control regime which seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons by controlling the export of nuclear related and dual use items and related technology. These are identified in the NSG technical annex and are incorporated into national and EU legislation.
Within the NSG the UK chairs the Licensing and Enforcement Experts Meeting where customs and other enforcement officials exchange information and intelligence relating to procurement methods, and discuss case studies on interdiction. The UK also provides technical experts who revise the lists of controlled goods to ensure that the NSG keeps pace with developments in technology, weapons systems and procurement methods.
Within the NSG and other export control regimes the UK supports outreach activities, in the form of bilateral talks and awareness raising seminars, which play a key role in our efforts to promote and support the implementation of responsible export controls around the world. In addition, joint teams of officials from FCO, DTI, MOD and HM Customs and Excise conduct dedicated export control bilateral meetings to address the practical issues surrounding the implementation of export licensing and enforcement systems.