A brief interchange took place in the House of Lords on 29 January concerning the delay in the introduction of the UK’s planned Green Paper on the regulation of PMCs. This had been slated for publication in November 2000 and has now been delayed without any revised date given.

Sandline endorses the publication by HMG of a consultative document on this subject but we are concerned that there has not been any attempt to open a dialogue with ourselves or, at the very least, explore the views and suggestions of the private sector generally in formulating what will undoubtedly be a series of recommendations reflecting government policy.

In a letter to Sandline from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office dated February 2000 in response to an inquiry from the company we were advised that: “We have no plans to consult the industry in advance. The Green Paper itself will be a consultative document, on which all interested parties will have the opportunity to comment.” In a further letter dated January 2001 the company was informed that: “No decision has yet been taken on a more precise date for [the Green Paper’s] publication.”

The text of the brief debate on this subject in the House of Lords can be accessed by clicking here.

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