Mr. Niall Burgess:

If I could refer the Chairman to the previous letter, which we sent to the committee Chairman on 18 December, in which we refer to the fact that 50,000 troops transited through Shannon Airport in the period January to September 2013, and the vast majority were carried on commercial aircraft subject to civil aviation regulations.

Under those regulations, the carriage of weapons through Shannon Airport is prohibited unless an exemption has been obtained by the commercial carrier from the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. Before issuing such an exemption the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport seeks the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.