Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134889, on Export Controls, for what reason his Department sifts licence applications into three categories.

The three categories are used in an initial sift of all applications, to allow for more efficient and effective processing.

The sifting process has no bearing on the outcome of the application. All applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.