I propose to take Question Nos. 228 to 230, inclusive, together.
The carriage of weapons and munitions of war on civilian aircraft is prohibited under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders, 1973 and 1989, unless an exemption from this prohibition is granted by the Minister for Transport. A separate exemption must be sought for every flight. The origin and destination of each flight is specified by the carrier on the application form. In respect of each application, the Department of Transport seeks the views of the Department of Foreign Affairs in relation to foreign policy and the Department of Justice and Law Reform in relation to security. The views of the Irish Aviation Authority are also sought in relation to aviation safety aspects if the weapons/munitions are classified as "dangerous goods" by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Each application is also sent to Department of Defence for their information. Where any of these bodies objects to a particular application the Minister does not grant an exemption. The number of aircraft exempted from Articles 6 and 7 of the Order since 1 January 2010 was 1008. For security reasons it is not the practice to comment on any reasons given for refusal of applications unless the cargo is of a nature that its carriage is specifically prohibited under international law.