Committees on Arms ExportsLetter from the Chair of the Committees to the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

To each of the Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) recommendations in its last Report (HC686) on “Brass Plate” companies, Pre-licensed registration of arms brokers and Extra Territorial Arms Export Controls, the Government in its Response (Cm8079) gave the same reply as follows “We are giving careful consideration to the CAEC recommendations in the light of recent events and will revert later this year”.

The Foreign Secretary under his covering letter to me of 30 September replied to a series of questions from the CAEC arising from the Government’s Response in Cm8079. For each of the three subjects named above the reply was that “The Government (the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills) will update the Committees regarding developments on these issues before the Committees start taking further evidence”.

I am extremely concerned that over nine months have elapsed since the CAEC made its conclusions and recommendations on these three important subjects public in its last Report and the Government has thus far failed to provide any response to them in contravention of the well-established procedures and timetable for Government Departments to respond to Select Committee recommendations.

I should be grateful if you could ensure that the Committees have the Government’s Response to the CAEC’s conclusions and recommendations on each of these three subjects no later than Thursday 19 January as the Committees start taking further evidence on Monday 23 January.

I am copying this letter to the Secretary of State for Defence, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development.

10 January 2012