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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 (DIT) receives advice
from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available information, including
reports from Non-Government Organisations (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
are able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances
require. There are currently eight 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. Two are Standard Individual Export
Licences (‘SIELs’), which have numerous potential end users that include law enforcement
agencies. There are also fifteen Open General Licences (‘OGLs’) for which businesses
can register that cover the export of anti-riot gear.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to
monitor developments in all countries closely. We are able to review licences and
suspend or revoke as necessary when circumstances require, and this is done in line
with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We have suspended
or revoked licences when our assessment changes. This shows how seriously we take
the guiding principle of responsible export controls.</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: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data"
target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data</a>
– 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><p> </p>
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