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<p>My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and I have been
sorry to see the violence that has taken place in the United States of America.</p><p>
</p><p>All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against
the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (‘Consolidated Criteria’).
In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade receives advice from
a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office. Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from NGOs
and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment
framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any equipment.
These are not decisions my Department takes lightly, and we will not license the export
of items where to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria.</p><p>
</p><p>Any licence granted by my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International
Trade may be subject to conditions. In addition, in line with the Consolidated Criteria,
my Department is able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when
circumstances require. There are currently <del class="ministerial">nine</del> <ins
class="ministerial">eight </ins>extant licences that may be linked to law enforcement
agencies. Six are Open Individual Export Licences (‘OIELs’), which have potential
end users that include law enforcement agencies. <del class="ministerial">Three</del>
<ins class="ministerial">Two </ins>are Standard Individual Export Licences (‘SIELs’),
which have numerous potential end users that include law enforcement agencies. There
are also 15 Open General Licences (‘OGLs’) for which businesses can register that
cover the export of anti-riot gear.</p><p> </p><p>Much information is in the public
domain already. We publish information on all export licences issued, refused and
revoked on a quarterly and annual basis as official statistics on GOV.UK – at: gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data
– and whilst data on actual exports is not required to be centrally held, the licences
issued until the end of December 2019 are available.</p>
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