asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether, in view of the statements reported to have been made by the secretary of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce during a recent court case in London concerning the practice of the chamber in granting authentication certificates of end-user of imported materials, he proposes to make any change in this respect, and if he will make a statement in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - End-user of Imported Materials.
Mr. Lemass
When, in 1953, it came to notice that the Dublin Chamber of Commerce was authenticating documents relating to the import of metals into Ireland and that such documents, indicating end-use, had been used to obtain the release from Western Germany of strategic materials of the type referred to in this question, it was arranged that the chambers of commerce in Dublin and elsewhere should not in future issue such certificates but should refer to the Department of Industry and Commerce all applications for the authentication of documents relating to the import of metals.
In furtherance of the policy of cooperating in the international arrangements designed to ensure control of strategic materials, my Department has, since April, 1951, been issuing import certificates to bona-fide importers of materials and goods classified as "strategic", so as to facilitate their release in the exporting country. Since March, 1954, the form of certificates has been standardised to indicate end-use, and, in order to prevent the acceptance of forgeries, it has been arranged that the certificates must be verified by the Irish missions in the exporting countries concerned. Also, my Department checks in due course whether the material concerned has been imported.
I understand that the practice mentioned in the Press report referred to by the Deputy is to be taken as referring to the authentication of other types of commercial documents, such as certificates of origin and of nonconformity of goods to sample.
I have been assured that, since 1953, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce has not authenticated any certificates relating to the end-use of imported metals.