§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken to ensure that components for machine guns exported to(a) Côte d'Ivoire, (b) Nigeria and (c) Senegal have not been exported in contravention of the Economic Council of West African States Moratorium. [163415]
§ Mr. MacShaneI have been asked to reply.
The United Kingdom has one of the strictest and most transparent arms export licensing systems in the world. All export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of the circumstances prevailing at the time and other announced Government policies. Criterion 1 specifically addresses respect for the UK's international commitments and international obligations.
The UK takes the provisions of the Economic Council of West African States Moratorium fully into account when assessing export licence applications. We would not issue an export licence if there were a clear risk that the export would be re-exported by the stated end-user in contravention of the Moratorium.