§ Richard BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what approvals have been given since the period covered by the last Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls for the export to Israel of categories of equipment covering(a) leg irons, (b) electric shock belts, (c) tear gas, (d) mortars, (e) rocket launchers, (f) anti-tank weapons, (g) military explosives, (h) infra-red and radar sensors and (i) chemical and biological agents. [149337]
§ Nigel GriffithsDetails of export licences approved for Israel in 2003 will be published in the 2003 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls later this year. I can however confirm that, following the then Foreign Secretary's announcement in 1997 of a ban on the export and transhipment through the UK of equipment which has been shown to be used for torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, items such as leg irons and electric shock belts are never approved for export from the UK. Similarly, in 2003 the Government did not authorise tear gas for export to Israel.