Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that military vehicle licences granted by the UK to the Egyptian government will not contribute to human rights violations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. All defence and dual-use exports are required to meet the UK’s strict export control legislation and adhere to the UK’s international commitments, including under international treaties and other arrangements. We do not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and we take account of any risk that the goods might be diverted to undesirable end-users or end-use.