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Arms Export Controls

The hon. Gentleman raises an important point, but it is not the fault of the Government. We have this debate annually. We tend to publish our report in July and the Government respond. Usually, at the end of March—it was 27 March last year—we have a debate in this place. Unfortunately, it is inevitable that the debate takes place some time after the publication of both the Committee's report and the Government's response. Unless we have more debates on arms export controls in the House—I think that we should—it will be difficult to determine a way of overcoming that problem. Perhaps I can offer the hon. Gentleman some encouragement. I intend to refer to several issues that cropped up during the recent evidence session with the Minister, which I am sure will be entirely in order because they relate to arms export controls. I do not think that any of us are precluded from raising more recent events in the debate.