To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make available a copy of the Report of the UN Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms. [18541]
A copy of the report of the UN Panel of Experts on Small Arms has been placed in the Library of the House. We endorse the panel's recommendations and urge other States to do likewise. The ready availability of small arms in several regions across the world contributes to serious problems of instability. Illicit transfers are the most common sources of supply. We strongly support the EU Programme for Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Conventional Arms and intend to take it forward vigorously during the UK presidency of the EU in the first half of 1998. As an initial step, the Department for International Development will fund a seminar in Southern Africa to look at how we and others might assist affected countries in practical measures to combat the problems caused by illicit small arms trafficking.