U.K. Issues 2006 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls
The U.K. Government today published its 2006 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls. The report contains an overview of U.K. policy and international developments in export control regimes and includes information on U.K. licensing decisions made during 2006.
With respect to licensing, the report states that in 2006, the U.K. processed 9,908 Standard Individual Export License (SIELs) applications, an increase from the 9,062 SIELs processed in 2005. Of these over 82% were processed within 20 working days. During the same period a total of 584 Open Individual Export Licence (OIELs) applications were processed, 74% of which were processed within 60 days.
The report also contains information on export enforcement activity in the U.K. The report shows a reduction in the number of cases of strategic goods seized by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the reporting period. The report also lists the monetary penalties imposed by HMRC for violations of U.K.'s export control laws. In fiscal year 2006-2007, the report shows that the U.K. imposed monetary penalties on only two entities for exporting military goods to Kuwait and Iraq. The total amount of penalties assessed on the two companies was only £18,000 (approximately US$36,000). (By contrast, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) 2006 Annual Report states that BIS brought 104 administrative cases and imposed US$13.1 million in civil penalties for violations of U.S. export control laws.)
The PDF version of the 2006 Annual Report and accompanying annex can be found on the website of the U.K. Government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Labels: Export Controls, United Kingdom
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