Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any further assessment of the legality of licensing military equipment destined for Israel since the provisional measures order was issued by the International Court of Justice on 26 January.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, including with regard to international humanitarian law.
The Government can and does respond quickly and flexibly to changing international circumstances. All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard. We are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences and refuse new licence applications as circumstances require.
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade receives legal advice as appropriate, on all matters related to export licensing, as part of advice from officials.
Any legal advice received is subject to legal professional privilege and as such we do not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the recent decisions by the governments of Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands suspending the licensing of arms and military equipment to Israel, whether they will review the United Kingdom’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and suspend the licensing of arms and military equipment to Israel.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world.
The Government continue to monitor closely the situation in Israel and Gaza, and if extant licences are found to be no longer consistent with the UK Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (the SELC), then those licences can be revoked, suspended or amended.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering suspending the licensing of military equipment to Israel if it conducts a ground offensive in Rafah.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world.
We continue to monitor closely the situation in Israel and Gaza, and if extant licences are found to be no longer consistent with the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, then those licences can be revoked, suspended or amended.