Written questions, answers and statements

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

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Question for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UIN 71797, tabled on 24 April 2017

Question

Emily Thornberry
Labour
Islington South and Finsbury
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many export licence applications in which Saudi Arabia was the recipient country were assessed by his Department's Arms Export Policy Team in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17, and how many and what proportion of such applications were referred to (i) the relevant Minister and (ii) the Secretary of State before a recommendation was made to the Department for International Trade or its predecessor Department on whether that application should be approved.

Answer

Boris Johnson
Conservative
Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Commons

Answered on

27 April 2017

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Arms Export Policy Team assessed a total of 355 export licence applications in 2015-16 and a further 355 export licence applications in 2016-17. While complex or sensitive cases are referred to me or the relevant Minister, I am unable to provide accurate statistics on the number of such referrals in the time available.

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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