Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 February 2017
18. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if her Department has or will consider instituting a presumption of denial policy in regard to weapon and dual use exports to Saudi Arabia in view of that country's bombardment of Yemen. [6178/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EU has a range of sanctions in place in respect of countries engaged in conflicts. All licence applications are considered having regard to these measures. Sanctions can include arms embargoes and various restrictive measures including prohibitions on the provision of targeted goods and services. My Department considers all arms embargos and trade sanctions when considering export licence applications, however there are currently no such sanctions in place in respect of Saudi Arabia.
My Department is responsible for controls on the export of dual-use and military items from Ireland. Proposed exports of military and dual-use products to Saudi Arabia, as with all other destinations, are considered on a case-by-case basis. The concept of presumption of denial is not provided for in Irish or EU Legislation. My Department has safeguards built into the licensing system which enable robust checks and cross-checks to ensure, as far as possible, that the item to be exported will be used by the stated end–user for the stated end-use, and will not be used for illicit purposes.
My officials are in regular contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on export licensing issues. They consult with that Department in respect of all military export licence applications and all dual-use export licence applications involving Saudi Arabia. My officials seek observations on any foreign policy concerns that may arise in respect of a proposed export; such factors are subject to review in the light of developments in a given region. Any observations which may arise from this examination are considered in the final assessment of any licence application.
My Department may refuse an export licence, following consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other EU and international export licensing authorities as appropriate.
Between 2014 and 2016 my Department issued 132 export licences to the value of €125m, in respect of Saudi Arabia. 123 of these export licence with a value of €101m were in respect of ICT products, with 9 export licences with a value of €24m related to equipment used in industry.
