Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On the withholding of information under the reporting on the operation of the Act, will the Minister of State outline why this is necessary? This is important legislation. The purpose is to protect human rights, to prevent arms from falling into the wrong hands and to assist in peace and stability. There is a need for some secrecy; I get that. With the exclusion of important elements from reporting, the secret appeals system and the withholding of information under the guise of commercial sensitivity or the security of the State, surely in such important legislation, we should focus on transparency and clarity and not hiding behind secret appeals or the redaction of information. Regardless of where equipment ends up or if items are refused to be sent to states or businesses, the public and Oireachtas should know about it, given that it could be related to state sanctioning or denying companies the ability to contribute to the military-industrial complex.

Amendment No. 6 relates to section 42, on the rules of conduct of appeals before adjudicator. Will the Minister of State outline why powers are being granted under section 42(p) to allow for "restrictions in relation to disclosure, publication or reporting, during or after the hearing of an appeal"? I understand the necessity for some secrecy and the rationale behind it but there could be more transparency in the legislation.