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Written Question
Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia
Monday 9th March 2020

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what restrictions the Government has put in place in relation to arms sales to Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

All arms sales are subject to export licensing. The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, last updated in a Written Ministerial Statement on 25 March 2014, remains the policy for assessing all licence applications.

Work to develop a revised assessment process enabling my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade to re-take the licensing decisions remitted to her by the Court of Appeal’s judgment of 20 June 2019, has advanced steadily and significantly since the judgment. An announcement will be made once the Secretary of State is in a position to re-take these decisions.

Until such time as these decisions are retaken, or a successful appeal against the judgment is concluded, the Government is under an obligation not to grant any new licences to export items to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the conflict in Yemen.


Written Question
Arms Trade: Licensing
Thursday 12th October 2017

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the robustness and transparency of the UK's arms export licensing system.

Answered by Mark Garnier

All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

The UK publishes on GOV.UK every quarter, information relating to export licences granted, refused and revoked. The information includes a description of the goods, its classification, the end user country and the value as provided by the exporter.


Written Question
Arms Trade: Export Controls
Thursday 12th October 2017

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the robustness and transparency of the UK's arms export licensing system.

Answered by Mark Garnier

All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

The UK publishes on GOV.UK every quarter, information relating to export licences granted, refused and revoked. The information includes a description of the goods, its classification, the end user country and the value as provided by the exporter.