GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND REPORT OF SESSION 2015-16 FROM THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS, THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY ON THE USE OF DRONES FOR TARGETED KILLING

That this House welcomes the Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the Government's response to its Report on the Government’s policy on the use of drones for targeted killing; further welcomes the confirmation that existing legal frameworks, including international humanitarian and human rights law, apply to the use of armed drones; notes, however, the conclusion of the Joint Committee that the Government has a policy to use lethal force abroad outside armed conflict but that this policy is in fact based on a misunderstanding of the legal frameworks that apply; invites the Government to articulate the differences between the UK and US positions on the applicable international standards; further notes that the recent Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles offers an opportunity to set the standards for the future use of armed drones; notes that the Ministry of Defence is currently conducting a Defence policy review on remotely piloted air systems, and is drafting Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30.21, The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems; avers the need for parliamentary understanding, approval and accountability for the Government's policy on the use of drones, and any other means, for targeted killing, both in and outside armed conflict; and calls on the Government to forge a positive precedent and implement the recommendations of the Joint Committee as a matter of urgency, before the defence policies are finalised and before the Government engages in talks on international standards for armed drone use.