Ministers from the Department for Business and Trade, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will appear before the Business and Trade Committee to answer questions on whether the UK’s arms export control regime is transparent, effective and being properly enforced.
","secondaryDescription":"Following the abolition of the Committees on Arms Export Controls, the Business and Trade Committee has undertaken a programme of scrutiny into the operation of the UK’s export licensing system and whether Parliament has sufficient information to hold ministers to account.
\r\nThe Committee has repeatedly been told that Government departments cannot provide timely or comprehensive data on export licences because their systems cannot effectively share information. MPs will therefore press ministers to commit to a fundamental overhaul of arms export reporting so Parliament can properly scrutinise what military and dual-use goods the UK is licensing and exporting.
\r\nThe session will examine whether the UK’s export control regime is meeting the Government’s obligations under domestic and international law.
\r\nMinisters will be questioned on the continued licensing of military exports to Israel, including whether recent developments require further restrictions.
\r\nThe Committee will also ask why the Government is failing to take tougher steps to prohibit trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories..
\r\nMPs will question ministers on whether UK export controls are sufficiently robust to prevent military and dual-use goods reaching sanctioned countries, including Russia, through third countries.
\r\nThe hearing will also examine whether the Government should impose tighter restrictions on exports that risk contributing to the conflict in Sudan, including concerns about the role of the United Arab Emirates in supplying the warring parties.
\r\nThe Committee will seek assurances that Britain’s export control system is transparent, enforceable and capable of ensuring UK exports do not contribute to conflict or breaches of international humanitarian law.
\r\nLiam Byrne MP, Chair of the Business and Trade Committee, said:
\r\n“Britain rightly has one of the world’s most rigorous arms export control regimes. But public confidence depends on Parliament being able to see that the rules are working in practice.
\r\n“Ministers have admitted that Government systems cannot provide a clear picture of what has actually been licensed and exported. That is simply not good enough. Parliament cannot scrutinise what it cannot see.
\r\n“We want ministers to commit to a fundamental overhaul of arms export reporting and to explain how the Government is ensuring that British exports are not contributing to conflict or breaches of international humanitarian law.
\r\n“That means answering difficult questions about exports to Israel, trade with illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the diversion of controlled goods to Russia, and the risk of British exports fuelling the devastating conflict in Sudan. These are issues on which Parliament and the public deserve clear answers.”
","parliamentTvUrl":null,"id":27464,"name":null,"startDate":"2026-07-15T09:15:00","endDate":"2026-07-15T11:30:00","cancelledDate":null,"locationId":2,"location":"The Wilson Room, Portcullis House","eventType":{"id":6,"name":"Formal meeting (oral evidence session)","isVisit":false,"description":"Formal meetings may be held in private (for example to consider a draft report) or in public (for example to hear oral evidence), and require a minimum number of members to be present."},"eventSource":"CIS","committees":[{"contact":{"email":"commonsbtc@parliament.uk","phone":"020 7219 8586 (General enquiries) | 020 7219 4984 (media enquiries)","address":"Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA","contactDisclaimer":null},"id":783,"name":"Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls","parentCommittee":null,"subCommittees":[],"house":"Commons","leadHouse":null,"category":{"id":1,"name":"Select"},"committeeTypes":[{"id":1,"name":"(HC) Public Standing Orders - Departmental","committeeCategory":{"id":1,"name":"Select"}}],"showOnWebsite":true,"websiteLegacyUrl":null,"websiteLegacyRedirectEnabled":false,"startDate":"2025-01-21T00:00:00","endDate":null,"dateCommonsAppointed":"2025-01-21T00:00:00","dateLordsAppointed":null,"scrutinisingDepartments":[],"isLeadCommittee":true,"nameHistory":[{"id":872,"committeeId":783,"name":"Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls","startDate":"2025-03-05T10:57:04","endDate":"2026-09-21T11:14:27"},{"id":952,"committeeId":783,"name":"Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls","startDate":"2026-09-21T11:14:27","endDate":null}]}],"committeeBusinesses":[{"id":9928,"title":"Export controls","type":{"id":2,"name":"Non-inquiry session","isInquiry":false,"description":"Non-inquiry sessions are brief packages of work that will not necessarily result in a report. They may be used to revisit previous inquiry topics or take evidence on a topical matter."},"openDate":"2026-07-08T00:00:00","closeDate":null,"latestReport":null,"openSubmissionPeriods":[],"closedSubmissionPeriods":[],"nextOralEvidenceSession":null,"contact":{"email":"commonsbtc@parliament.uk","phone":"020 7219 8586 (General enquiries) | 020 7219 4984 (media enquiries)","address":null,"contactDisclaimer":null}}],"childEvents":[],"nextActivity":null,"activities":[{"committeeBusinesses":[{"id":9928,"title":"Export controls","type":{"id":2,"name":"Non-inquiry session","isInquiry":false,"description":"Non-inquiry sessions are brief packages of work that will not necessarily result in a report. They may be used to revisit previous inquiry topics or take evidence on a topical matter."},"openDate":"2026-07-08T00:00:00","closeDate":null,"latestReport":null,"openSubmissionPeriods":[],"closedSubmissionPeriods":[],"nextOralEvidenceSession":null,"contact":{"email":"commonsbtc@parliament.uk","phone":"020 7219 8586 (General enquiries) | 020 7219 4984 (media enquiries)","address":null,"contactDisclaimer":null}}],"oralEvidences":[],"id":37711,"name":null,"startDate":"2026-07-15T09:30:00","endDate":"2026-07-15T11:30:00","eventId":27464,"isPrivate":false,"activityType":"Oral evidence","attendees":[{"displayOrder":1,"organisations":[{"name":"Department for Business and Trade","role":"Minister for Trade","idmsId":null,"cisId":96644}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36514,"personId":null,"name":"Chris Bryant","photoUrl":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/1446/Thumbnail","memberInfo":{"memberFrom":"Rhondda and Ogmore","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","mnisId":1446,"isChair":false,"listAs":"Bryant, Chris","displayAs":"Chris Bryant","fullTitle":"Chris Bryant","addressAs":"Chris Bryant","house":"Commons","isCurrent":true}},{"displayOrder":3,"organisations":[{"name":"Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office","role":"Minister for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories","idmsId":null,"cisId":5852}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36515,"personId":null,"name":"Stephen Doughty MP","photoUrl":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/4264/Thumbnail","memberInfo":{"memberFrom":"Cardiff South and Penarth","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","mnisId":4264,"isChair":false,"listAs":"Doughty, Stephen","displayAs":"Stephen Doughty","fullTitle":"Stephen Doughty MP","addressAs":"Stephen Doughty","house":"Commons","isCurrent":true}},{"displayOrder":5,"organisations":[{"name":"Ministry of Defence","role":"Minister of State","idmsId":"https://id.parliament.uk/JogIZRts","cisId":56274}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36516,"personId":null,"name":"The Lord Coaker","photoUrl":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/360/Thumbnail","memberInfo":{"memberFrom":"Life peer","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","mnisId":360,"isChair":false,"listAs":"Coaker, L.","displayAs":"Lord Coaker","fullTitle":"The Lord Coaker","addressAs":null,"house":"Lords","isCurrent":true}},{"displayOrder":4,"organisations":[{"name":"Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office","role":"Director, National & Economic Security","idmsId":null,"cisId":5852}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36527,"personId":123341,"name":"Tom Barry","photoUrl":null,"memberInfo":null},{"displayOrder":2,"organisations":[{"name":"Department for Business and Trade","role":"Director, Export Control and Sanctions","idmsId":null,"cisId":96644}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36528,"personId":103530,"name":"Dr Rosemary Pratt","photoUrl":null,"memberInfo":null},{"displayOrder":6,"organisations":[{"name":"Ministry of Defence","role":"Deputy Director, Security and Policy, Directorate of Economic Security and Statecraft","idmsId":"https://id.parliament.uk/JogIZRts","cisId":56274}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36558,"personId":123370,"name":"Roger Harrison","photoUrl":null,"memberInfo":null}]}]}