Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Campaign Against Arms Trade publication in August of a list of 17 countries which received some form of British military training between 2018 and 2020, (1) what defence engagement has taken place in each such country, and (2) how they have ensured that such engagement complies with international humanitarian law.

The nature and scale of Defence Engagement with the countries mentioned in the CAAT publication varies considerably according to the nature of the wider UK relationship with these countries. Information on all forms of Defence Engagement is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Our Defence Engagement programmes, and particularly the Defence Education & Training we provide to foreign nations, will stress the need to respect International Law and the importance of adhering to international standards, for example with regard to human rights, human security, transparency & corruption, and civilian oversight and control of the Armed Forces.

All Defence Engagement is informed by an assessment of the potential impact of providing assistance on risks relating to human rights and International Humanitarian Law.