Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Harriett Baldwin and Philippa Whitford

Monday 7th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Dr Philippa Whitford (Central Ayrshire) (SNP)]

4. What recent support the armed forces have provided to the military campaign of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Harriett Baldwin)]

The UK is not a member of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition. British armed forces personnel are therefore not involved in selecting targets, carrying out strikes, or directing or conducting operations in Yemen.

[Dr Whitford]

The UK continues to supply arms to Saudi Arabia, despite repeated bombing of civilian targets and non-governmental organisation hospitals in Yemen. The most conservative figures from the United Nations Human Rights Council demonstrate that there have been at least 10,000 casualties and 4,000 confirmed dead in a country facing humanitarian disaster. Will the Minister and the Secretary of State heed the previous call by the Business, Innovation and Skills and the International Development Committees to end export licences for these arms, or are these casualties just considered a fair price to pay?

[Harriett Baldwin]

We will be responding to those reports imminently, but I want to put on record that we have one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. We are aware of the alleged violations that the hon. Lady mentions and we take alleged violations in this conflict extremely seriously.