Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the sale of arms to the authorities in Myanmar that were previously purchased by and for authorities in other countries.

The Government takes its strategic export control responsibilities very seriously. We examine each application for controlled items on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Strategic Export Licensing Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider carefully the impact of the export of items and their capabilities. When assessing an export licence, the Government considers the risk of the end user diverting the equipment to another end user, such as the authorities in Myanmar.

The trade of military goods and technology to Myanmar directly, or through third countries, is prohibited by the Myanmar (Sanctions) Regulations 2021. The Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. This includes Criterion 1, respect for the UK's international obligations and commitments, in particular sanctions and the risk of diversion, Criterion 7. All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard. We are able to suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.