Jul 12. Parliamentary Publications: Recent Releases. The following Reports by the House of Lords and the House of Commons have been released recently:-
* Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy: Planning for the next National Security Strategy.
(HL Paper 27/HC 423 of 11 Jul 12 – £6:50.)
* Intelligence and Security Committee: ISC Annual Report 2011/12. (Command 8403 of 12 Jul – £21:25.)
* Four Joint Committees: Scrutiny of Arms Exports (2012). (HC 419 of 13 Jul 12 – £28:70.)
* Foreign Affairs Committee: British foreign policy and the ‘Arab Spring’. (HC 80 of 19 Jul 12 – £25:90.)
Comment: The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy Report highlights concerns about the Government’s response to the Committee’s ‘First review of the National Security Strategy 2010’, published on
8 Mar 12 (as HL Paper 265/HC 1385). The Government’s response was produced as a memorandum, dated 12 Jun 12, and is published as an appendix to the Committee’s latest Report.
(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 12/29, 23 July 12)

Jul 12. Parliamentary Recesses. The House of Commons adjourned for the Summer Recess on 17 Jul 12 and will return on 3 Sep 12, prior to the Conference Recess from 18 Sep to 15 Oct 12. The House of Lords is to rise for the Summer Recess on 25 Jul 12 and return on 8 Oct 12. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 12/29, 23 July 12)

17 Jul 12. Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S): For the Private Sector? The Defence Secretary announced (17 Jul 12) that the MoD “should focus its effort” on developing and testing a GOCO (Government-owned, contractor-operated) option for DE&S. Work in the “next few months will support decisions later in the year on whether to proceed with the GOCO option and whether to launch a competition for the private sector management company to run the organisation.”.
Comment: The Defence Secretary’s announcement was made in a Written Statement to the House of Commons on 17 Jul 12. The MoD appears to be moving towards the ‘privatisation’ of military equipment procurement. As an example, the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is managed on behalf of the MoD by a consortium of Jacobs Engineering, Lockheed Martin and Serco. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 12/29, 23 July 12)

19 Jul 12. Committees on Arms Export Controls. MPs question the Government further on Arms Exports to Syria. In its July13 Report (HC419), the Committees on Arms Export Controls published the 9 arms exports to Syria for which the Government had approved export licences and that were still extant. These licences were for chemicals subject to export licensing, hydrophone sensors, cryptographic equipment, vehicles with ballistic protection, industrial components subject to export licensing and personal protective equipment. In the attached letter to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, the Chairman of the Committees, Sir John Stanley has requested 48 items of additional information about these approved arms export licences to Syria. Sir John Stanley said: “The grim situation in Syria makes it imperative for Parliament to have much more detailed information about the existing UK arms export licences to that country. Britain still has existing arms export licences to Syria more than a year after the Arab Spring uprising against the Syrian regime began. This underlines the importance of the Committees’ recommendation in their Report last week that the Government should apply significantly more cautious judgements when considering arms export licence applications for goods to authoritarian regimes which might be used to facilitate internal repression in contravention of British Government policy.”

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for Tuesday 17 July 2012

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the export potential of the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle Foxhound; and if he will make a statement. [116990]

Mr Gera