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Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill [Lords]

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. I hope that all hon. Members will agree that this is an important piece of legislation. Interestingly, the tone of this debate has been very different from that of any debate we would have had about such a matter a mere four, five or six years ago. Then, people would have argued much more forcefully for retaining cluster munitions as an essential tool of the trade necessary to our armed forces. The facts that have emerged over the past few years have changed people's minds: the fact that a third of those most affected by cluster munitions have been children; the fact that thousands of people are killed by these weapons not only in the process of war, but in many cases a long time after the war because cluster submunitions lie around unexploded; and the fact that at least 60 per cent. of those who have been killed or maimed were not in the field of combat but were engaged in their ordinary daily business. Those things have made many people—those of a military disposition or career, as well as those who have worked for non-governmental organisations—conscious of the fact that we needed to change how we engage with this issue. I pay tribute to the Norwegian Government, who were key in asserting the Oslo declaration and trying to persuade everybody to come forward with the convention; to the Irish Government, who brought together the diplomatic conference in Dublin; and to our own Prime Minister, who played a specific role in brokering a deal that meant that it was possible for the convention to be agreed. As we have discussed this afternoon, the Bill has come about in large measure because of the necessity to provide legal certainty for the personnel of armed forces that have decided not to use cluster munitions who may be operating alongside personnel from countries that have not taken that decision. I very much hope that we will be able to make progress as swiftly as possible and that all countries—certainly all our allies—will sign up to and ratify the convention. I am grateful for the work that has been done on this Bill by people in the Foreign Office who are not often involved in introducing legislation. I am also grateful to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington), who has conducted the debate in a spirit of fair-minded probing, as of course have all hon. Members. I very much hope that we will be able to agree to give the Bill its Third Reading.