Written question asked by Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative) on Friday, 23 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 16 April 2012. It was answered by Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 16 April 2012 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Missile Technology Control Regime

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he proposes to amend the Missile Technology Control Regime in the light of the development of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Answer: The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is an important part of the international counter proliferation architecture and the UK and other regime partners continuously review the guidelines and annexes. The UK recognises the distinction between unmanned air systems (UAS) and cruise and ballistic missiles and discusses the effects of developments in UAS with regime partners. However, the MTCR works on a consensus basis and thus each of the 34 member states has to be in agreement before changes to the guidelines can be implemented.

Secondary information