Hong Kong
(asked on 10th November 2014) - View Source
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports that tear gas used against protesters in Hong Kong was manufactured in the UK.
This question was answered on 17th November 2014
It appears from public images that some of the tear gas canisters used during the protests in Hong Kong on 28 September were manufactured by Chemring Ltd (a UK company), but Hong Kong Police have not verified this and we have no independent confirmation. As debated recently in Parliament, the Government has reviewed licences for tear gas exports to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Each licence application is rigorously examined on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated Criteria and we will revoke or suspend licences that no longer meet them. After carefully reviewing one current licence, the Government has decided it will not be revoked on the basis that it does not contravene the Consolidated Criteria.
It appears from public images that some of the tear gas canisters used during the protests in Hong Kong on 28 September were manufactured by Chemring Ltd (a UK company), but Hong Kong Police have not verified this and we have no independent confirmation. As debated recently in Parliament, the Government has reviewed licences for tear gas exports to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Each licence application is rigorously examined on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated Criteria and we will revoke or suspend licences that no longer meet them. After carefully reviewing one current licence, the Government has decided it will not be revoked on the basis that it does not contravene the Consolidated Criteria.