Denis Naughten
Ceist:164 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the Amnesty International publication, Ireland and the Arms Trade - Decoding the Deals. [21116/03]
Written Answers. - Arms Trade.
The Amnesty International publication entitled, Ireland and the Arms Trade – Decoding the Deals, raises a number of issues relating to the export control system in Ireland. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which operates the export control system, asked Forfás in July 2002 to review Ireland's export licence system with a view to recommending how best we can modernise and strengthen export controls to ensure full compliance with Ireland's international obligations.
Phase one of this independent review – the definition of the work that is needed to be carried out – has already been completed by the consultants who have been commissioned by Forfás to carry out the review and is available on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's website. Phase two, now under way, will have a wide consultation process and will afford all interested parties the opportunity to give views about ways of improving the current system. I would welcome as wide a range of participation and views as possible from the public and from interested organisations in this process. I am confident that the issues raised by Amnesty International in its report will be considered by the independent consultants.
As part of the licensing procedure, my Department is consulted by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on each individual application for a licence to export military goods. My Department is committed to making Ireland's export controls system as effective as possible and takes great care to ensure that each export control licence application received is considered in terms of whether it meets with the criteria, including respect for human rights, contained in the EU Code of Conduct for Arms Exports (1998). Council Regulation No. 1334 of 2000, as amended, provides the legal basis for the control of exports of dual-use items and technology. Dual-use goods are defined as goods which could be used for both civilian and military purposes. The regulation sets out the list of dual-use goods that are subject to export control and is updated regularly to take account of EU member states' obligations as participants in various non-proliferation regimes. It is within this legislative framework that Ireland meets its international obligations to control dual-use items.