Written question asked by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 July 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 July 2021. It was answered by James Heappey (Conservative) on Wednesday, 21 July 2021 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Israel: Arms Trade

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of reports that Israeli (a) F-16 fighter jets and (b) Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes on Gaza contain British-supplied components; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: HM Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. We consider all export applications thoroughly against a strict risk assessment framework and keep all licences under careful and continual review as standard. HM Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. HM Government publishes quarterly and annual statistics on all our export licensing decisions, including details of export licences granted, refused and revoked. These can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/export-control-organisation

Secondary information