To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 616W, on unmanned air vehicles, what consideration his Department has given in the development of Maritime Unmanned Aerial Systems Strategy to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to tackle illegal piracy...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 616W, on unmanned air vehicles, what consideration his Department has given in the development of Maritime Unmanned Aerial Systems Strategy to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to tackle illegal piracy...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes on the mental health and wellbeing of civilians in Afghanistan.

[133769]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes on the mental health and wellbeing of civilians in Afghanistan.

[133769]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2012, Official Report, column 703W, on unmanned air vehicles, if he will undertake a risk assessment of the potential threat to national security of (a) the proliferation of drone technology and (b) its use by...

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2012, Official Report, column 703W, on unmanned air vehicles, if he will undertake a risk assessment of the potential threat to national security of (a) the proliferation of drone technology and (b) its use by...

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sanctioned, or have provided logistical or other assistance to, drone operations carried out by the United States in countries other than Afghanistan. [HL3006]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sanctioned, or have provided logistical or other assistance to, drone operations carried out by the United States in countries other than Afghanistan. [HL3006]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the recording of civilian deaths as a consequence of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in Afghanistan.

[133763]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the recording of civilian deaths as a consequence of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in Afghanistan.

[133763]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to take measures to prevent worldwide proliferation of unmanned aircraft, in particular those armed for attacks.[HL3969]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to take measures to prevent worldwide proliferation of unmanned aircraft, in particular those armed for attacks.[HL3969]

Debate on a Select Committee report. [Relevant documents: UK Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2010, First Joint Report of the Committees on Arms Export Controls, HC 419, and the Government response, Cm 8441.] Agreed on question.

Debate on a Select Committee report. [Relevant documents: UK Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2010, First Joint Report of the Committees on Arms Export Controls, HC 419, and the Government response, Cm 8441.] Agreed on question.

I warmly congratulate my constituency neighbour and right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon) on his deserved return to the ministerial firmament, and I extend to him my best wishes for his time in his important post.

I would be the first to acknowledge that quantity and size is...

I warmly congratulate my constituency neighbour and right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon) on his deserved return to the ministerial firmament, and I extend to him my best wishes for his time in his important post.

I would be the first to acknowledge that quantity and size is...

The Chairman of the Committees will be aware that was not the first time it happened, but it is important to place it on the record. There were similar incidents at previous defence exhibitions four or five years earlier. Promises were made that the situation would be improved. There are...

The Chairman of the Committees will be aware that was not the first time it happened, but it is important to place it on the record. There were similar incidents at previous defence exhibitions four or five years earlier. Promises were made that the situation would be improved. There are...

The hon. Gentleman makes a wholly correct point. I said in my remarks that that exhibition was not the first time, and he is entirely right to reinforce the point.

We continue to be in disagreement with the Government on whether there is an inherent conflict between strongly promoting arms exports...

The hon. Gentleman makes a wholly correct point. I said in my remarks that that exhibition was not the first time, and he is entirely right to reinforce the point.

We continue to be in disagreement with the Government on whether there is an inherent conflict between strongly promoting arms exports...

Thank you, Mr Hollobone. I apologise for being slightly late for this debate. I had responsibilities to attend to at the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

I congratulate, the Chair of the Committees, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley), on his comprehensive and excellent introduction. As always,...

Thank you, Mr Hollobone. I apologise for being slightly late for this debate. I had responsibilities to attend to at the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

I congratulate, the Chair of the Committees, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley), on his comprehensive and excellent introduction. As always,...

Thank you, Mr Hollobone, for calling me to speak. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair this afternoon.

It is also a pleasure to congratulate the Chair of the Committees on Arms Export Controls, the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley), on making an...

Thank you, Mr Hollobone, for calling me to speak. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair this afternoon.

It is also a pleasure to congratulate the Chair of the Committees on Arms Export Controls, the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley), on making an...

Ex-Chair.

Ex-Chair.

I was not aware that my hon. Friend was no longer in that position, and I will now use this opportunity to pay tribute to the huge amount of work that he has done on these issues during many years, and to the contribution that he has made and indeed...

I was not aware that my hon. Friend was no longer in that position, and I will now use this opportunity to pay tribute to the huge amount of work that he has done on these issues during many years, and to the contribution that he has made and indeed...

That sounds like a target to me, Mr Hollobone. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. This is a very important topic, considered by extremely important and serious Committees of the House, and the quality, if not the quantity, of the speeches this afternoon has matched the importance...

That sounds like a target to me, Mr Hollobone. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. This is a very important topic, considered by extremely important and serious Committees of the House, and the quality, if not the quantity, of the speeches this afternoon has matched the importance...

I repeat hon. Members’ welcome to the Chair of the Committees, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley), and thank all those who contributed to our short debate. I thank my right hon. Friend in particular for all the work he does in chairing...

I repeat hon. Members’ welcome to the Chair of the Committees, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley), and thank all those who contributed to our short debate. I thank my right hon. Friend in particular for all the work he does in chairing...

May I go back to what the Minister said earlier when listing, country by country, the numbers of arms export licence revocations following the Arab spring—or whatever we choose to call it? Does he not agree that the number of arms export licence revocations for Saudi Arabia stands at precisely...

May I go back to what the Minister said earlier when listing, country by country, the numbers of arms export licence revocations following the Arab spring—or whatever we choose to call it? Does he not agree that the number of arms export licence revocations for Saudi Arabia stands at precisely...

My right hon. Friend has made his point and, indeed, his allegation. All I can say is that such issues are reviewed case by case. Factually, he is right that no licence to Saudi Arabia was revoked but, to date, there is no evidence that UK-supplied equipment has been used...

My right hon. Friend has made his point and, indeed, his allegation. All I can say is that such issues are reviewed case by case. Factually, he is right that no licence to Saudi Arabia was revoked but, to date, there is no evidence that UK-supplied equipment has been used...

Does the Minister agree that this situation highlights one of the concerns? We only take such decisions once the equipment has been used. Perhaps we need a more common-sense approach to the question of whether our equipment would be used by a repressive regime if its authorities took action that...

Does the Minister agree that this situation highlights one of the concerns? We only take such decisions once the equipment has been used. Perhaps we need a more common-sense approach to the question of whether our equipment would be used by a repressive regime if its authorities took action that...

I am not quite sure what the hon. Lady means by taking a common-sense approach. Is she suggesting that at the beginning of something such as the Arab spring, we should simply list more countries that we are not prepared to sell arms to?

I am not quite sure what the hon. Lady means by taking a common-sense approach. Is she suggesting that at the beginning of something such as the Arab spring, we should simply list more countries that we are not prepared to sell arms to?