A new report by Parliament’s Committees on Arms Export Controls
(CAEC) comments on a variety of issues – including the regulation
of arms-dealers; the quality of information in the public domain;
concerns regarding auditing and end-user monitoring; concerns
about the role of brokers / agents / advisors; concerns about
enforcement and the capacity to enforce; and tackling alleged
corruption in the arms trade. These issues were looked at in the
context of the Committees’ review of the Government’s most recent
annual reports on strategic export controls.
The Committees’ Chair, MP, said:
“During our inquiry we heard from the defence industry, academic
experts, campaign groups and the Government itself. The
Committees have together agreed a report that looks in depth at
this very sensitive area and makes a series of detailed,
constructive suggestions to improve policy and procedures.
Although the UK has one of the toughest arms-control systems
anywhere in the world, this in-depth analysis has highlighted
some of the gaps in those controls. I am delighted that there was
a consensual view across the Committees on what is a very
thorough report. There are, however, outstanding questions and
the Committees intend to look into these further in the future.”
CAEC consists of four House of Commons Committees meeting
together to scrutinise the Government’s controls on exporting,
and dealing in, both weapons and items with a potential military
use. These Committees are the Defence, Foreign Affairs,
International Development and International Trade Committees.
In their report, the Committees:
- draw
attention to the potentially significant impact of Brexit on UK
arms export controls, and ask the Government to show that it is
planning for the legal and other consequences of the UK ceasing
to be part of EU arrangements in this area;
-
recommend the Government consider tightening the regulation of
arms-dealers;
- ask
the Government to provide information about situations where
licensing decisions are made by Ministers, rather than by
officials;
-
recommend that the Government consider introducing a presumption
that certain licences will be denied for exports to countries
that have not signed the Arms Trade Treaty or are on the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office’s list of Human Rights Priority
Countries;
- are
critical of the Government for presenting data in formats that
are very difficult to use – and say that the Government has
misrepresented data in relation to prosecutions over
export-control offences;
- ask
the Government to review the resources given to HM Revenue &
Customs for the enforcement of export controls;
-
express dissatisfaction at the Government’s admission that it
carries out no auditing of overseas operations by UK companies in
connection with licences, recommending that the compliance-audit
regime be extended accordingly; and
-
recommend that the Government consider whether to start
monitoring where arms exports finally end up.
In addition, the Committees heard evidence linking middle-men in
the arms industry to alleged corruption and diversion of arms to
destinations for which they’ve not been licensed. The Committees
noted they couldn’t judge the truth of these allegations, but
took them very seriously, asking the Government to consider
adjusting the criteria used to assess licence applications to
incorporate a criterion specially relating to corruption.
