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Select committee: Defence Committee

Government Response to the Committee's First Joint Report - Developments in UK Strategic Export Controls

Published 9 January 2023

Defence Committee Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to First Joint Report (Fourth Report of the Defence Committee) - Developments in UK Strategic Export Controls.

This is the government's response, published 9 January 2023.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government responds point by point to the Committees' recommendations, committing to some (such as six-monthly LITE updates) while declining others, including a post-shipment verification pilot by 2025 and an independent review of the new Criteria.

  • On the LITE licensing IT system, the government says delivery "is being progressed urgently" and commits to ECJU providing six-monthly progress updates, offering a live demonstration if the Committees are interested.
  • On post-shipment verification, the government "notes" the conclusions and keeps "an open mind", but says it "cannot commit to implementing a pilot programme by 2025", citing costs, resources and legal, diplomatic and practical issues.
  • On the new Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, the government is "satisfied" they provide a thorough risk assessment framework and "does not consider an independent review to be necessary or proportionate".
  • On enforcement data, HMRC "will provide convictions data" for inclusion in Annual Reports, but "is not something HMRC can agree to" on privately disclosing settlement details, citing Section 18(1) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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