Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2018
73. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No. 211 of 24 October 2018, the number of licences that comprised the €120 million of temporary exports of military hardware for maintenance to another EU member state in January to June 2017. [50439/18]
View answerUnder the Control of Exports Act 2008, licences are required for the movement out of Ireland of military equipment listed in the Common Military List of the EU. My Department is responsible for implementing these controls and for processing applications for licences.
I publish an annual report as required under the Control of Exports Act 2008 which provides information on exports and transfers of military-classified equipment. The objective of publishing such a report is to provide the public with greater transparency on exports of controlled goods and services.
To provide more regular updates about exports of controlled goods, my Department publishes preliminary, summary data on the Department’s website on a six monthly basis.
The preliminary value of military licences originally published on the Department’s website in respect of the period from January to June 2017 was €132 million. A subsequent review of these licences identified licences issued in respect of temporary transfer of equipment to another EU Member State for maintenance purposes. While licences are required for such temporary transfers, as no export was ultimately involved, the total for the period from January to June 2017 was subsequently revised down to €12 million.
My Department issued 17 licences in respect of temporary transfers of equipment which is of military grade to another EU Member State for maintenance purposes, over the period January to June 2017. These licences were Individual Transfer Licences, as provided for in Directive 2009/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council simplifying terms and conditions of transfers of such products within the community.
