Committees on Arms ExportsLetter from the Chair of the Committees to the Rt Hon William Hague MP, First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

I am writing in respect of the attached report in The Independent of 22 December 2011 and of all related information held by the Government.

The Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) would be grateful for your answers to the following questions before Vince Cable and you give Oral Evidence to CAEC on 7 February.

1.On what date was the “Thor Liberty” registered as a British-flagged ship, was the company that made the registration a UK registered company, and, if so, on what date did this company last file its Annual Report and Accounts and the names of its Directors at Companies House and in respect of which financial year?

2.Would the explosives and the surface-to-air missiles found on board the “Thor Liberty” in Finland when the ship was on its way to Shanghai constitute a breach of the EU arms embargo on China if exported from the UK?

3.Do the explosives and the surface-to-air missiles found on board the “Thor Liberty” in Finland when the ship was on its way to Shanghai fall within or outside the ambit of the current UK legislation on extra-territoriality relating to arms exports?

4.Does the Government consider in relation to this matter that any UK person(s) may have committed a breach of UK arms export controls legislation that may be indictable under the provisions of current UK legislation on extra-territoriality?

5.What discussions have taken place between the UK Government, the British police and the Crown Prosecution Service on this matter?

CAEC will of course be glad to receive any additional information that the Government wishes to provide in its response to this letter.

I am writing in the same terms to Vince Cable and am also copying this letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions for any comments he may wish to make to CAEC.

The Committee may decide to make these letters public in due course.

17 January 2011