HC Deb 30 March 2004 vol 419 c1312W
Richard Burden

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total value of British arms exports to(a) Israel and (b) the occupied territories was in each of the last five years. [163680]

Nigel Griffiths

I have been asked to reply.

Since May 1997, the Government have published an annual report on strategic export controls containing details of all goods, including components, authorised for export from the UK and to which destinations. The total value of SIEL licences issued for each destination is recorded in these reports. Copies of the annual report (up to and including 2002) are available from the Libraries of the House. Details of export licences approved in 2003 will be published later this year in the 2003 annual report.

Concerning quantities exported, HM Customs and Excise and DTI compliance officers check that the terms of the licence have been respected but do not store data on volumes of actual exports which have been vetted and licensed.