1 INTRODUCTION
1. The Defence, Foreign Affairs, International Development
and Trade and Industry Committees began regular examinations of
the Government's strategic export control system in 1999. Through
this arrangement, which has become known as the 'Quadripartite
Committee', we have conducted ongoing scrutiny of this complex
and controversial area of government policy.
2. This is the fifth and, we anticipate, our last
Report in this Parliament. Our previous Reports are listed on
page 64. We have seen, in particular, the development of new legislation
governing strategic export controls—the Export Control Act
2002 and associated secondary legislation, which came into force
in May 2004. The introduction of those measures has taken much
of our attention.
3. There is more change to come. At the time that
this Report was being written, the European Union was in the final
stages of a review of its Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, and
a separate elaboration of Criterion 8 of that Code, which relates
to sustainable development. The impasse which had been reached
on the development of an international Arms Trade Treaty had seemingly
been overcome by the United Kingdom's vigorous and vocal advocacy.
Much work was also underway in the area of WMD controls at EU
level. The UK Government is uniquely placed at the centre of these
developments as Chair of the G8 throughout 2005 and President
of the EU for six months from July 2005.
4. In the course of the preparation of this Report,
we held two evidence sessions; firstly, with the UK Working Group
on Arms[1] and the Export
Group on Aerospace and Defence[2];
and, secondly, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and
officials. We also received written evidence from the Campaign
Against Arms Trade and various submissions from the Government.
We are grateful to all those who gave oral and written evidence,
and to our advisers—Dr Sibylle Bauer, Dr Wyn Bowen and Dr
Paul Cornish—who helped us evaluate that evidence.
5. As well as the process of taking oral and written
evidence on policy, we have continued to explore issues raised
by particular licences; assessing, for example, whether there
has been any inconsistency between the Government's treatment
of incorporation licence applications and those for finished goods,
end-use information and assurances on certain exports, for example
handcuffs, and other licence approvals or refusals for which the
rationale is not obvious. This process is detailed and, necessarily,
confidential. We have drawn on the information received to make
points on policy issues, and will keep the specific cases under
review.
6. Much has been achieved in the area of strategic
export control, but there is a great deal more to do. We believe
that our sustained scrutiny has resulted in a focus on this area
which has enabled real progress to be made, in the context of
a high level of constructive debate among policy makers, NGOs,
industry and legislators. We recommend that the Defence, Foreign
Affairs, International Development and Trade and Industry Committees
should continue the Quadripartite Committee arrangement in the
new Parliament.
1 NGOs, including Amnesty International UK, British
American Security Information Council, Christian Aid, International
Alert, Oxfam GB and Saferworld. Back
2
Representatives of the defence industries, formerly the Defence
Manufacturers' Export Licensing Group. Back
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