The export licensing process under the Act provides protections for objects over 50 years of age and above a certain value from permanent export if they are of national importance to the U.K by providing an opportunity for acquisition by a UK buyer committed to ensuring public access.

Export licensing is confidential in its nature. The Government has not assessed the impact of the Export Control Act 2002 in specifically ensuring that works by artists and caricaturists of the Georgian age are protected from export. Statistical information on export licences issued under the Act and case studies of items deferred from export each year are available in the annual report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Arts and Objects of Cultural Interest.

Our International Humanitarian Law (IHL) assessments continue to assess Israel's compliance and commitment to IHL. Since the 2 September 2024 announcement, subsequent assessments continue to find possible breaches of IHL in the areas of humanitarian access and in the treatment of detainees. The suspension of export licences therefore remains in place.

We are appalled by civilian casualties in Gaza and urgently call for an immediate return to a ceasefire. All parties must re-engage with negotiations to get hostages out, surge aid, and secure a permanent end to this conflict.

The Export Control Act 2002 provides the legal basis for our export control legislation on military and certain dual-use goods. Military list items and certain dual-use items specified within the European Union (EU) Dual-use Regulation (“the Dual-use Regulation”), require an export licence for export from Northern Ireland to Ireland. Export licence applications for these items would be assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which is statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State and laid before Parliament under section 9 of the Export Control Act 2002. We would not issue an export licence in response to an application where to do so would be inconsistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. Unless specified within Annex IV of the Dual-use Regulation, dual-use items exported from Northern Ireland to Ireland would not require a licence.

The Windsor Framework ensures the free flow of trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland through a new green lane, removing unacceptable customs processes. The only checks conducted will be risk-based to target smuggling or criminality in the green lane, highly-controlled goods, or any goods bound for the EU in the red lane.

HMRC has not prosecuted any cases involving the illegal export of military goods from the UK to Israel in the last 2 years (2016/2017).

DIT have published statistics covering the same period which show that in 2016 they issued 245 export licences for controlled goods to Israel. The goods covered by those licences were worth £128m. In 2017 DIT issued 234 export licences for controlled goods to Israel. The goods covered by those licences were worth £274m.