Committees on Arms Exportssnel. ei.c. 1 A A MI 90 791r: coon I R/1;11,:""ra, AA (11\ 9n 701 a74 A I ..f. Letter to the Chair of the Committees from the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills

Thank you for your letter of 16 December about the article in The Independent on 1 December relating to the arrest of the British arms dealer Mr Guy Savage and whether this exposed any weaknesses in UK arms export control legislation and procedures.

I hope you will understand that I do not consider it would be appropriate for me to comment on these issues while the Home Secretary is still considering her decision on whether to allow the extradition of Mr Savage to the US to face charges of breaching US controls. I am aware that any statement made by the Government on this matter could potentially prejudice his prospects of a fair trial in the US if extradition does go ahead.

19 January 2012