WRITTEN EVIDENCE
13. We invited written evidence not only from those
who have usually supplied evidence to our and our predecessor
Committees' recent inquiries but also from a wider field which
ranged from academics to those who organise arms fairs. We were
grateful to receive their written evidence. We sent the DTI a
series of written questions about the operation of the export
control system and received detailed replies as well as several
memoranda. In addition, we commissioned memoranda from our advisers,
Dr Sibylle Bauer and Miss Joanna Kidd. We attach to this Report
all the evidence we receivedother than material with a
security classificationand invite the Government to consider
it before reaching its conclusions on the review of export controls.
We have also made available on the Internet for the first time
the written evidence we had received by March 2007, to assist
those with an interest in our inquiry. We are grateful to all
those who gave oral and written evidence and to our adviser, Dr
Bauer, who helped us evaluate that evidence.
VISITS
14. We carried out two visits in 2007. In March
we visited the Export Control Organisation at the DTI where we
met officials and the Minister of State for Science and Innovation,
Malcolm Wicks MP. In April we visited the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (FCO) and met officials with responsibility for policy
on strategic export controls and for considering applications
for export licences. We wish to put on record our thanks to the
Minister and the officials in both departments who showed us how
applications for export licences are considered and answered our
questions. We plan to visit HM Revenue and Customs later in the
year.
15. In 2007 the FCO provided us with briefing on
the UK contribution to the UN deliberations on the proposed arms
trade treaty. We were grateful for the briefing and found it informative
and useful.
15 HC (2005-06) 873, para 9 Back
16
Departments of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, International
Development and Trade and Industry, Strategic Export Controls:
HMG's Annual Report for 2003, Licensing Policy and Parliamentary
Scrutiny Response of the Secretaries of State for Defence, Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs, International Development and Trade
and Industry, Cm 6638, July 2005, p 2 Back
17
Defence, Foreign Affairs, International Development and Trade
and Industry Committees, First Joint Report of Session 2004-05,
HMG's Annual Report for 2003, Licensing Policy and Parliamentary
Scrutiny, HC 145, paras 13-15 Back
18
Cm 6954, p 1 Back
19
HC Deb, 22 February 2007, col 180WH Back
20
HC (2005-06) 873, para 12 Back
21
The Working Group is part of an international coalition of non-governmental
organisations which includes Amnesty UK, BASIC, Oxfam GB and Saferworld. Back
22
EGAD operates under the auspicious of the Defence Manufacturers'
Association (DMA), the Society of British Aerospace Companies
(SBAC), the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI), the British
Naval Equipment Association (BNEA), the Association of Police
and Public Security Suppliers (APPSS) and intellect (the trade
association for the UK hi-tech industry). Back