- guardian.co.uk, Saturday December 9 2000 02.46 GMT
Parliamentary scrutiny of proposed arms deals would undermine the competitiveness of British weapons manufacturers, delay valuable exports and damage relations with the countries concerned, the government said.
Commons committees on foreign affairs, defence, international development, and trade and industry said in a report this year: "There can be few decisions of greater potential impact on the conduct of foreign relations, and on the lives of people overseas, than decisions as to whether to permit weapons made in this country to be put into the hands of overseas governments and their forces.
"The nation as a whole feels an exceptional degree of engagement. There is understandable anger when it is found that British-made weapons have been used to oppress people, or to endanger the lives of our servicemen and women or civilians."
Responding to the report, the government said yesterday that its view remained "that there is no role for advance scrutiny of individual casework decisions which are quintessentially matters for ministerial decision in accordance with delegated powers conferred by parliament".
It offered the committees "confidential briefings on general policy considerations, for example on small arms policy".
