Source · Select Committees · Committees on Arms Export Controls
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 15
We are disappointed at the continued reluctance of the Government to offer the Foreign and...
Conclusion
We are disappointed at the continued reluctance of the Government to offer the Foreign and International Trade Secretaries of State to provide us with oral evidence. This risks giving the impression that the Government do not attach the appropriate importance to parliamentary scrutiny of strategic export controls. While we appreciate that other ministers from the relevant departments have agreed to give evidence, we expect the Government to be more accommodating in offering suitable dates for ministerial sessions. The offer of a one-hour session is unacceptable, given the breadth and importance of the issues covered by the Committees.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged the committee's important scrutiny role and commitment to engagement, referencing a recent ministerial visit and regretting past scheduling issues, but did not commit to offering the named Secretaries of State for oral evidence or longer sessions.
Paragraph Reference:
15
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government recognises the important role of the CAEC in providing Parliamentary scrutiny of export controls and the work of the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU). The Committees’ recent visit to ECJU’s offices in November, where they met Minister Huddleston and spoke with a range of officials on a variety of topics of interest, shows the Government’s commitment to engaging with the Committees and the Minister’s commitment to providing evidence in a timely and effective manner. We recognise that unfortunately a number of CAEC sessions did not go ahead as planned last year owing to a range of factors.