Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many arms export licences to Afghanistan they approved in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021; and what was their total financial value.

In 2020, 16 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) were granted for military rated items to Afghanistan, with a value of £21,710,485. In addition, one Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) was granted for military rated items. Because OIELs are open-ended, they are not restricted by quantities or values for the specific items the licence is granted for.

For the period 1^st January to 31^st March 2021, four SIELs were granted for military rated items, with a value of £533,350; and one OIEL was granted.

Information on licences granted between 1^st April to 30^th June 2021 will be published as Official Statistics GOV.UK on 12th October 2021; and information on licences granted from 1^st July to 30^th September 2021 in January 2022.