Official Statistics

Strategic export controls commentary: 1 October to 31 December 2023

Published 13 June 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/strategic-export-controls-licensing-statistics-1-october-to-31-december-2023/strategic-export-controls-commentary-1-october-to-31-december-2023

1. Statistical commentary

Coverage: UK

Frequency: Quarterly

Date of publication: 13 June 2024

Statistical Contact: ECJU[email protected]

Website: Strategic export controls licensing data

This statistics release provides the data about decisions made on licence applications to the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

The ECJU is the regulatory body which controls exports of military goods and dual-use goods (civilian goods that can be used for military purposes) from the UK.

2. Headline results

  • between 1 October and 31 December 2023 (2023 Q4), there were a total of 2,996 licensing decisions for standard individual export licences (SIELs), down 44 (1.4%) from 3,040 in the previous quarter (2023 Q3)

  • of these standard licensing decisions in 2023 Q4, 2,842 (94.9%) were issued, 154 (5.1%) were refused, and none were revoked

  • licensing decisions for open individual export licences (OIELs) were down by 10 (10.9%) compared with the previous quarter, from 92 in 2023 Q3 to 82 in 2023 Q4

  • of these open licensing decisions in 2023 Q4, 70 (85.4%) were issued, 12 (14.6%) were rejected, and none were revoked

  • in 2023 Q4, 43% of SIELs were processed to first outcome within 20 working days, matching the performance from the previous quarter. 83% of SIELs were processed to first outcome within 60 working days, down from 87% in the previous quarter. 27% of OIELs were processed to first outcome within 60 working days, down from 38% in the previous quarter. Percentages of SIELs processed to first outcome within 20 and 60 working days do not include SIELs processed in LITE for the 2023 Q1, 2023 Q2, 2023 Q3 and 2023 Q4 reporting periods so comparing figures from these reporting periods with previous reporting periods should be done so with care – see Background notes for further details

  • for the 2023 calendar year, 52% of SIELs were processed to first outcome within 20 working days, down from 62% in the previous year (2022). 87% of SIELs were processed to first outcome within 60 working days, down from 89% in the previous year. 39% of OIELs were processed to first outcome within 60 working days, up from 26% in the previous year. Percentages of SIELs processed to first outcome within 20 and 60 working days do not include SIELs processed in LITE for the 2023 reporting period so comparing figures with previous reporting periods should be done so with care – see Background notes for further details

3. Introduction

This commentary accompanies the latest quarterly strategic export controls statistics data tables, published on the DBT strategic export controls statistics web page on 13 June 2024. The data tables present the latest detailed information on licensing decisions for each quarter from 2008 Q1 to 2023 Q4. The data presented here is based on a snapshot of live data from 25 March 2024.

Most licence applications are submitted to and processed by the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) through a purpose-built online licensing system called SPIRE. However, ECJU is in the process of introducing a new digital system for export licensing, known as LITE, which will replace its legacy system, SPIRE. Prior to the 2021 Q3 publication, this release provided data solely from SPIRE. With the introduction of LITE in 2021, this release has included data from both SPIRE and LITE from the 2021 Q3 publication onwards.

From the 2021 Q3 publication onwards, there have been some delays in publishing these statistics due to the transition from SPIRE to LITE, and the additional burden this has placed in relation to the production of the statistics and quality checking the data. To minimise the ongoing impact of these delays, the data for the 2023 Q3 and 2024 Q4 release were published simultaneously. For further details on how we published for 2023 Q3 and 2023 Q4, please see the quality and methodology information guidance.

Whilst the 2023 Q4 publication still includes data from both SPIRE and LITE, there are some limitations in how we have published the LITE data for the 2023 Q1, 2023 Q2 , 2023 Q3, 2023 Q4 and 2023 reporting periods, with these limitations caveated alongside the impacted figures in the commentary and Table 4 – see Background notes for further details.

There are several types of licence and the type of licence applied for will depend on numerous factors such as the type and volume of goods being exported, the destination and who will be using the goods.

The statistics present a picture of how licensing decisions have been made, which is useful for policy officials in the ECJU and also allows analysis of the operational efficacy of the licensing system. The data are also regularly used by the press, non-government organisations and academics to evaluate strategic export control policies. Further detail is available in this document under uses of the data.

4. Summary of results

4.1 Issued licences

Chart 1: Number of SIELs issued, by licence sub-type

  • Issued SIELs are predominantly of the ‘permanent standard’ sub-type (see Chart 1) which is clearly driving the overall trend in total SIELs. However, ‘temporary standard’ and ‘incorporation’ SIELs are not insignificant, accounting for around 6% and 10% (respectively) of issued SIELs on average each quarter. Notable historic trends in SIELs volumes have been highlighted in the commentary for previous publications. More recent notable trends are summarised below

  • The decrease from 3,526 SIELs issued in 2021 Q2 to 2,937 in 2021 Q3 and 2,940 in 2021 Q4 is likely to be explained by a decrease in applications submitted, and operational factors, specifically a temporary shortage in resourcing

  • A record high of 4,069 SIELs were issued in 2022 Q1. This peak is likely due to ECJU working to clear the backlog of applications which had arisen due to a previous shortage in resourcing, as well as the resumption of licensing for export to Turkey, the latter of which was set out on 13 December 2021 in notice to exporters 2021/15

  • In 2023 Q1, 2,758 SIELs were issued. This was the lowest number of SIELs issued since 2019 Q4. From 2023 Q2 – 2023 Q4, volumes of issued SIELs surpassed the volumes of SIELs issued for 2023 Q1, but remained below levels previously seen in each quarter throughout 2020 to 2022. There was a combination of factors during 2023 that impacted upon ECJU’s ability to process licences. These factors included the ongoing impact of transitioning from our existing digital service (SPIRE) to a new digital licensing service (LITE) and the increased workload caused by the added complexity in considering cases following the Military End Use Control refresh in May 2022

Chart 2: Value of goods issued for exportation under SIEL licences

  • Chart 2 shows how the value of goods issued for exportation under SIELs can vary a lot from quarter to quarter, with a handful of high value licences often explaining peaks in the data. The goods are valued by the licence applicant and not all goods licensed are actually exported

  • Notable historic trends in licence values have been highlighted in the commentary for previous publications. More recent notable trends are summarised below

  • In 2022 Q1, 23 high value licences for China, India, South Korea and Taiwan accounted for around 89% of the total value of all SIELs issued in the quarter. These licences, valued at £15.7 billion in total, were for information security equipment and software for information security equipment

  • In 2022 Q2, the value of one licence for Qatar accounted for over 40% of the total value of all SIELs issued in that quarter. This licence, valued at £2.4 billion in total, was for the delivery, over a number of years, of combat aircraft. The value of 4 licences for Russia accounted for £220m of the £227m total value, and was for the return of cultural items to museums in Russia which had been on loan to UK museums

  • In 2022 Q3, 11 high value licences for China, India and Taiwan accounted for over 70% of the total value of all SIELs issued in that quarter. These licences, valued at £6.0 billion in total, were for information security equipment and software for information security equipment

  • In 2022 Q4, 40 high value licenses for China, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Vietnam and Hong Kong accounted for over 94% of the total value of all SIELs issued in that quarter. These licences, valued at £32.1 billion in total, were for information security equipment and software for information security equipment

  • In 2023 Q1, 12 high value licences, valued at £9.1 billion accounted for over 85% of the total value of all SIELs issued in that quarter. Ten of these licences were for information security equipment and software for information security equipment to China, India and Taiwan. The 2 remaining licences were for materials containing depleted, enriched and/or natural uranium to South Korea and Spain

  • In 2023 Q2, 32 high value licences for Abu Dhabi, China, India, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, United States and Vietnam accounted for over 96% of the total value of all SIELs issued in that quarter. These licences, valued at £36.2 billion, were for information security equipment and software for information security equipment

  • In 2023 Q3, 13 high value licences for China, India and South Korea accounted for over 82% of the total value of all SIELs issued in that quarter. These licences, valued at £8.6 billion, were for information security equipment and software for information security equipment

  • In 2023 Q4, 10 high value licences for China, India, South Korea and Taiwan accounted for over 70% of the total value of all SIELs issued in that quarter. These licences, valued at £8.1 billion, were for information security equipment and software for information security equipment

  • Unlike SIELs for permanent export, a temporary SIEL may permit the export of the goods to multiple destinations, provided they are returned to the UK within 12 months of export. For example, an item might be exported from the UK for an exhibition in one country, before being moved directly to another exhibition in a second country, and so on, before they are returned to the UK. Currently the total value of temporary goods is calculated as the sum of temporary goods licensed to each destination, meaning that the same goods can be counted multiple times. The values of goods licensed for temporary export, using the current methodology, make up 2% of all goods values across all SIELs between 2008 Q1 and 2023 Q4. However, there have been quarters within this time period in which the proportion of goods values licensed for temporary export under SIELs has been considerably higher (for example, in 2008 Q2 the value of goods on temporary licences was 23%, 2014 Q2 was 13% and 2015 Q2 was 20%)

Chart 3: Number of OIELs issued by licence sub-type

  • Issued OIELs were largely comprised of ‘standard’ OIELs (see Chart 3). The number of OIELs issued is much smaller than the number of SIELs issued, however the quantity of goods for exportation is generally not limited on OIELs

  • Notable trends in OIELs volumes have been highlighted in the commentary previous publications. More recent notable trends include the increase from 39 OIELs issued in 2021 Q4 to 100 in 2022 Q1, which was likely due to operational reasons, specifically ECJU working to clear a backlog of applications which had accumulated

Chart 4: Number of licences refused/rejected by licence type

  • The numbers of SIELs and SITCLs refused and OIELs and OITCLs rejected tend to be much lower than the numbers issued (see Chart 4). The number of SIELs refused in each quarter between 2008 Q1 and 2023 Q4 has averaged 71 but more recent periods have seen higher numbers of refusals, with each quarter since 2022 Q3 surpassing 100 total refusals. Notable historic trends in refusals have been highlighted in the commentary for previous publications. More recent notable trends are summarised below

  • In 2022 Q2, the majority of refusals were for licences to China (39) and Russia (20). The high number of refusals for China were mainly due to the new military end-use control and the addition of China to the list of destinations subject to the military end-use control. These were announced on 8 December 2021 and came into effect on 19th May 2022. The high number of refusals for Russia were mainly due to sanctions introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

  • In 2022 Q3, the majority of refusals were for licences to China (81) and Turkey (13). A number of refusals for China continued to be related to the new military end-use controls and the addition of China to the list of destinations subject to the military end-use control. The high number of refusals to Turkey were due to the wide scope of Russia sanctions which require us to prevent sanctioned items being supplied to a person connected with Russia

  • In 2022 Q4, the majority of refusals were for licences to China (95) and Russia (22). A number of refusals for China continued to be related to the new military end-use controls and the addition of China to the list of destinations subject to the military end-use control. The high number of refusals for Russia were mainly due to sanctions introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

  • Throughout 2023, the majority of refusals in each quarter continued to be for licences to China, with 159, 158, 137 and 124 refusals in 2023 Q1, 2023 Q2, 2023 Q3 and 2023 Q4 respectively. The majority of refusals for China continued to be related to the new military end-use controls and the addition of China to the list of destinations subject to the military end-use control.

Table 1: Number of licences revoked by licence type

Period OIEL OITCL SIEL SITCL
2008 Q1 0 0 1 0
2008 Q2 0 0 1 0
2008 Q3 7 0 0 0
2008 Q4 6 0 19 0
2009 Q1 0 0 1 0
2009 Q2 0 0 1 0
2009 Q3 1 0 10 0
2009 Q4 0 0 2 0
2010 Q1 0 0 0 0
2010 Q2 0 0 0 0
2010 Q3 0 0 0 0
2010 Q4 0 0 0 0
2011 Q1 14 0 121 2
2011 Q2 1 0 2 0
2011 Q3 1 0 1 0
2011 Q4 0 0 1 0
2012 Q1 0 0 2 0
2012 Q2 7 0 38 0
2012 Q3 0 0 2 0
2012 Q4 1 0 0 0
2013 Q1 0 0 0 0
2013 Q2 1 0 5 0
2013 Q3 0 0 6 0
2013 Q4 3 0 5 0
2014 Q1 12 1 2 0
2014 Q2 0 0 11 0
2014 Q3 50 1 35 0
2014 Q4 0 0 1 0
2015 Q1 2 0 9 0
2015 Q2 2 0 3 0
2015 Q3 1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 0 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 1 0
2017 Q1 0 0 1 0
2017 Q2 0 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0 0
2017 Q4 13 0 5 0
2018 Q1 0 0 1 0
2018 Q2 2 0 2 0
2018 Q3 1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 1 0 1 0
2019 Q1 1 0 0 0
2019 Q2 0 0 3 0
2019 Q3 3 0 6 0
2019 Q4 0 0 2 0
2020 Q1 1 0 10 0
2020 Q2 0 0 0 0
2020 Q3 1 0 0 0
2020 Q4 0 0 0 0
2021 Q1 0 0 0 0
2021 Q2 0 0 0 0
2021 Q3 4 0 9 13
2021 Q4 0 0 0 0
2022 Q1 1 0 102 0
2022 Q2 0 1 1 3
2022 Q3 0 0 0 0
2022 Q4 0 0 0 0
2023 Q1 0 0 0 0
2023 Q2 1 0 2 0
2023 Q3 0 14 0 1
2023 Q4 0 0 0 0

Source: Table A, Strategic Export Controls Licensing Statistics

  • Notable historic trends in revocations have been highlighted in the commentary previous publications. More recent notable trends are summarised below

  • Revocations for OIELs, SIELs and SITCLs rose in 2021 Q3, which was due to 25 revocations following on from the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan

  • The large number of SIEL revocations (102) in 2022 Q1 was due to new sanctions being introduced following Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 91 of the revocations were for licences to Russia. A number of the other revocations were for incorporation SIELs with Russia as an ultimate end user

Chart 5: OGEL registrations, suspensions and deregistrations

  • Notable historic trends in registrations have been highlighted in previous publications. More recent notable trends are summarised below

  • The increase in registrations (1,270) in 2021 Q1 was largely due to registrations for the ‘Export of Dual-Use items to EU Member States’ OGEL but also for the retained general export authorisations, all of which came into force at the end of the transition period

  • The increase in registrations (1,568) in 2023 Q1 was mainly due to a change on the 30 September 2022, when ECJU re-instated the ability to register for and use 26 OGELs. When these 26 open general licences were originally locked, preventing further registration, ECJU created a set of parallel open general licences with fewer permitted destinations. These parallel OGELS were no longer required and were revoked on 30 December 2022. The increase in registrations in 2023 Q1 was mainly due to Exporters being required to register for the 26 OGELS which were now available, and which replaced those that were revoked. Further information on these can be found in the Notices to Exporters, NTE 2022/25 and NTE 2022/34

5. Goods with military and non-military control entries

Control entries are the codes assigned to each good on the consolidated list of goods that require export authorisation (herein ‘consolidated list’). For example, all control entries beginning ‘ML’ (such as ML1, ML8 etc) are control entries for military goods. The process of assigning control entries to goods is called Rating.

In some cases, goods can be made subject to control if they do not appear on the consolidated list. Goods that the exporter has been told, knows or suspects are, or may be, intended for ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) purposes’ are given the rating ‘END’. Goods that the exporter has been told, knows or suspects are, or may be, intended for use as components in, or production or test equipment for, military equipment in an embargoed destination; or may be intended for use as parts of military goods illegally obtained from the UK, irrespective of destination, are given the rating ‘MEND’. Both of these ‘end-use’ ratings are also sometimes referred to as ‘catch all’ ratings.

The list can be found on the UK strategic export control lists page.

Control entries provide in-depth descriptions for the classification of licensable goods. Table 2 and Table 3 provides summary descriptions of control entries based on the consolidated list of goods that require export authorisation. High ranking control entries have been combined where they cover similar goods (specified in square brackets in Tables 2 and 3). Note that licence counts are only an indication of export volumes and counts are not the same as goods quantity.

5.1 Military goods licensed

Table 2: Top-5 military goods licensed on permanent standard SIELs in 2023, by number of licences

Top-5 military use Number of licences
Aircraft, components and related equipment [ML10] 835
Firearms [ML1] 651
Bombs, missiles and related equipment and components [ML4] 427
Vehicles and components [ML6] 420
Military Technology [ML22] 392

Source: Table H, Strategic export controls licensing statistics

5.2 Non-military goods licensed

Table 3: Top-5 non-military goods licensed on permanent standard SIELs in 2023, by number of licences

Top-5 non-military use Number of licences
Equipment and software with “information security” capability [5A002, 5D002] 1,214
Non-Military Firearms (Firearms Regulation Annex I) [FR AI] 863
Imaging cameras [6A003] 390
Human and animal pathogens and “toxins” [1C351] 324
Chemical manufacturing facilities, equipment and components [2B350] 299

Source: Table H, Strategic export controls licensing statistics

6. End-user destinations

6.1 Number of licences issued

In 2023, the United States of America was the end user destination with the highest number of licences issued for exportation of strategic goods under permanent standard SIELs, with 1,041 licences. The next end users with the highest number of licences issued for exportation of strategic goods under permanent standard SIELs were China (807) and India (587).

Map 1: Number of licences issued per end user destination in 2023

Chart 6: Top 10 end-user destinations licensed, 2023

6.2 Value of licences issued

In 2023, China was the end user destination with the highest value of licences issued for exportation of strategic goods under ‘Permanent Standard’ SIELs, with licences issued for exportation of £25.6 billion worth of goods (as valued by applicants). The next end users with the highest value of licences issued for goods under Standard SIELs were South Korea (£13.1 billion) and India (£8.4 billion). Goods are valued by the licence applicant, and not all goods licensed are actually exported.

Map 2: Value of licences issued per end user destination in 2023

Chart 7: Top 10 end-user destinations licensed in terms of licence values, 2023

7. Initial processing statistics

7.1 Latest quarter

  • On receipt of a SIEL application, ECJU’s target is to process 70% of cases within 20 working days and 99% within 60 working days. ECJU also aim to process 60% of OIEL applications within 60 working days

  • In 2023 Q4, 43% of SIEL applications (where applications were closed for the first time, that is, not counting re-opened and re-closed licences) were completed within 20 working days, matching the performance from the previous quarter. By 60 working days, 83% of SIELs had been completed, down from 87% in 2023 Q3. By 60 working days, 27% of OIEL applications were completed, down from 38% in 2023 Q3. Percentages of SIELs processed to first outcome within 20 and 60 working days do not include SIELs processed in LITE for the 2023 Q1, 2023 Q2, 2023 Q3 and 2023 Q4 reporting periods so comparing figures from these reporting periods with previous reporting periods should be done so with care – see Background notes for further details.* There was a combination of factors during 2023 Q4 that impacted upon ECJU’s ability to meet processing targets. These factors included the ongoing impact of transitioning from our existing digital service (SPIRE) to a new digital licensing service (LITE) and the increased workload caused by the added complexity in considering cases following the Military End Use Control refresh in May 2022

Table 4: Processing statistics for SIEL applications closed during 2023 Q4

Types of licences Number of applications completed in 20 working days % applications completed in 20 working days Number of applications completed in 60 working days % applications completed in 60 working days Median processing time (days)
Total SIELs 1,625 43 3,116 83 23
Permanent 1,408 43 2,723 83 24
Temporary 73 52 127 91 20
Transhipment 3 75 4 100 11
Incorporation 140 46 258 85 22
For items covered by the Torture Regulation (Permanent or Temporary) 1 17 4 67 35

Source: Table B, strategic export controls licensing statistics

Table 4 includes data for applications that were stopped or withdrawn before the application was closed as well as applications that were processed, but did not require a licence. Therefore, the number of applications completed will be different to the total number of licensing decisions. SIEL figures presented in this table do not include SIELs processed in LITE for the 2023 Q4 reporting period so comparing figures from this reporting period with previous reporting periods before 2023 Q1 should be done so with care – see Background notes for further details.

7.2 Latest full calendar year

  • In the 2023 calendar year, 52% of SIEL applications were completed within 20 working days, down from 62% in 2022. By 60 working days, 87% of SIELs had been completed, down from 89% in 2022. By 60 working days, 39% of OIEL applications were completed, up from 26% in 2022

  • There was a combination of factors during 2023 that impacted upon ECJU’s ability to meet processing targets. These factors included the ongoing impact of transitioning from our existing digital service (SPIRE) to a new digital licensing service (LITE) and the increased workload caused by the added complexity in considering cases following the Military End Use Control refresh in May 2022

8. Glossary of licence types

8.1 Licence types

  • Standard individual export licences (SIELs) are specific to an individual exporter and generally allow shipments of specified items to a specified recipient up to the quantity specified by the licence. There are 5 main subtypes; permanent standard, temporary standard, incorporation, transhipment and SIELs for Goods covered by the Torture Regulation
  • Open individual export licences (OIELs) are specific to an individual exporter and cover multiple shipments of specified items to specified destinations and/or, in some cases, specified recipients. Licences permitting permanent export are generally valid for up to 5 years from the date of issue. However, OIELs covering the export to EU Member States of goods entered on the Military List and Dealer to Dealer OIELs (an OIEL subtype) are generally valid for 3 years
  • An open individual trade control licence (OITCL) is specific to a named trader and covers involvement in trading of a generally unlimited supply of specific goods between specific source and destination countries and/or specified senders, recipients and end-users. OITCLs are generally valid for 5 years
  • A standard individual trade control licence (SITCL) is specific to a named trader and covers involvement in trading of a set quantity of specific goods between a specific source and destination country with a specified sender, recipient and end-user. SITCLs will normally be valid for 2 years
  • Open general export licences (OGELs) are pre-published licences allowing the export of certain goods to certain destinations. Generally, the quantity of goods allowed for shipment is not limited

8.2 SIELs

  • Permanent standard SIELs are for items that are for permanent export to a destination
  • Temporary standard SIELs are for where the export is temporary, for example for the purposes of demonstration, trial or evaluation, and the licence is generally valid for one year only. The goods must be returned before the licence expires. Temporary SIELs can cover more than one destination
  • Incorporation SIELs are for goods that are due to be incorporated, that is, installing them into another product or higher level system. For incorporation cases there are 2 end-user types. The ‘end user’ is the person/organisation incorporating the goods. The ‘ultimate end user’ is defined as the entity that uses the product or the higher level system into which the exported goods are installed or incorporated
  • Transhipment SIELs are needed for the transhipment of certain goods through the UK en-route from one country to another, providing certain conditions are met. This subtype of SIEL is also called a Standard Individual Transhipment Licence (SITL). Most other transhipments (of certain goods through the UK en-route from one country to another) can be made under one of the open general transhipment licences, provided in all cases that the relevant conditions are met
  • SIELs for goods covered by the torture regulation concern trade in certain equipment and products which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. These are classed as non-military goods but can appear separately to the statistics on licences for non-military goods. Read the guidance about export controls on goods that can be used for torture or capital punishment

8.3 OIELs

Open individual export licences (OIELs) are specific to an individual exporter and cover multiple shipments of specified items to specified destinations and/or, in some cases, specified recipients. Licences permitting permanent export are generally valid for up to 5 years from the date of issue. However, OIELs covering the export to EU member states of goods entered on the Military List and Dealer-to-dealer OIELs (an OIEL subtype) are generally valid for 3 years. Standard OIELs are the most common type of OIEL issued, but there are several other OIEL subtypes:

  • Dealer-to-dealer OIELs authorise Northern Ireland registered firearms dealers to export certain categories of firearms and ammunition solely to other registered firearms dealers in the European Union only, provided that copies of valid documentation are forwarded to the Department of Business and Trade at least 2 working days before each shipment.

  • Cryptographic OIELs authorise the export of specified cryptography hardware or software and the transfer of specified cryptography technology. These licences do not cover hardware, software or technology which includes certain types of cryptanalytic functions.

  • Media OIELs authorise the export of military helmets, body armour, non-military four-wheel drive civilian vehicles with ballistic protection and specially designed components for any of these items, mainly for the protection of aid agency workers and journalists in areas of conflict. The licence permits these goods to be exported to all destinations on a temporary basis only; the goods must be returned to the United Kingdom when no longer required.

  • Continental shelf OIELs authorise the export of controlled goods to the UK sector of the continental shelf for the use only on, or in connection with, offshore installation and associated vessels. The UK sector of the continental shelf is the region of waters surrounding the UK in which the UK has rights over the sea bed, subsoil and their natural resources.

8.4 Global project licences

  • Global project licences (GPLs) are a form of export licence that were introduced by framework agreement partners (UK, France, Italy, Sweden, Spain and Germany) to streamline the arrangements for licensing military goods and technologies between them, where these transfers relate to their participation in specific collaborative defence projects. In relation to the collaborative project, each partner state will, as appropriate, issue their own GPLs to permit transfers of specified goods and technology where these are required for that programme. The GPLs operate on a similar basis to UK OIELs. In the UK, applications for GPLs are assessed against the strategic export licensing criteria.

9. Background notes

  • These statistics are designated as official statistics under the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. From July 2015 these statistics have been produced to fully comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The only exception to code compliance is that on 4 June 2015 the UK Statistics Authority approved a request to be exempt from T3.7 of the Trustworthiness pillar of the Code of Practice for Statistics (that “The name and contact information of the lead statistician or analyst responsible for production should be included in the published statistics”). Please see the UK Statistic Authority’s page for Code of Practice exemption requests for more information. The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has not assessed these statistics for compliance against the code and as such these statistics are not National Statistics.

  • ECJU is in the process of introducing a new digital system for export licensing, known as LITE, which will replace its legacy system, SPIRE. Therefore, at present, two administrative sources, SPIRE and LITE, are used to produce the strategic export controls statistics. With the introduction of LITE in 2021, this release has included data from both SPIRE and LITE from the 2021 Q3 publication onwards. Prior to the 2021 Q3 publication, this release provided data solely from SPIRE. The statement of administrative sources guidance provides more detail on SPIRE and LITE.

  • Whilst the 2023 Q4 publication still includes data from both SPIRE and LITE, there are some limitations in how we have published the LITE data for the 2023 Q1, 2023 Q2, 2023 Q3, 2023 Q4 and 2023 reporting periods – any SIEL figures that provide the data broken down by initial processing times (including Number/Percentage of SIELs completed within 20 working days, Number/Percentage of SIELs completed within 60 working days, and Median processing time) do not include SIELs processed in LITE for these reporting period. In total, there were 229 SIELs closed in LITE during the 2023 Q1 reporting period, 324 SIELs closed in LITE during the 2023 Q2 reporting period, 348 SIELs closed in LITE during the 2023 Q3 reporting period and 386 SIELs closed in LITE during the 2023 Q4 reporting period that have not been included in these figures, accounting for 6%, 8%, 8% and 9% of all SIELs processed (in SPIRE and LITE) respectively. These limitations are caveated alongside the impacted figures in the commentary and Table 4 above, as well as within Table B and Table C that accompany the wider 2023 Q4 publication. Comparing figures from the 2023 Q1, 2023 Q2, 2023 Q3, 2023 Q4 and 2023 reporting periods with previous reporting periods should be done so with care due to these limitations. For further details, including a high-level overview of data on export licencing decisions made in LITE for each quarter, please see the statement of administrative sources guidance.

  • These limitations result from differences in how SPIRE and LITE currently calculate initial processing times, which up until the end of the 2022 Q4 reporting period, we had manually fixed for SIELs processed in LITE ahead of publication to ensure they were presented on a consistent basis. For further details on how we currently calculate initial processing time, please see the quality and methodology information guidance.

  • Quality issues related to the strategic export controls statistics are outlined in the quality and methodology information guidance and in caveats outlined in the notes of each data table and the country pivot report.

  • In addition, footnotes have been supplied to provide more context for certain licences. Country footnotes are supplied in a data table and give country-specific information on how licence applications have been assessed. Case and goods footnotes are provided on the country pivot report only and aim to offer information on how licensing decisions were made with regards to particular goods and details of their use.

  • A small number of specialised licences have not been counted within this commentary due to how they are processed on SPIRE. Available data on these licences can be found in the ‘other standard licences’ data table as part of each quarterly report.

9.1 Uses of the data

  • Within government, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) use the licensing data to inform policy and decision-making. Data are supplied for use in the annual report on Britain’s export control policy and practice during the year. Published by DBT, it is a collaboration between the FCDO, DBT, and the MOD. Please see the strategic export control annual report 2022.

  • The Business and Trade Committee (BTC), previously the Committee on Arms Export Controls (CAEC), examine the government’s expenditure, administration and policy on strategic exports. The licensing statistics informed their work throughout these periods.

  • Non-government organisations such as Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) and Amnesty International use the data to monitor strategic exports. Academic and research institutions such as Export Control Advisory Committee (ECAC) and Export Group for Aerospace, Defence and Dual-Use (EGADD) are also known to use the statistics.

9.2 Revisions

9.3 Further information

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