Mr. Declan Smyth:

There are two aspects to that. Not all states agreed that in order to prevent trade, it was necessary to actually prohibit it. That is a discussion we have with our partners internationally. Even those who are most keen to take action in this field have issued guidance or instructions to state-owned enterprises not to engage and trade with the settlements. There is a discussion as to whether the obligation to take steps to prevent trade requires a state to actually prohibit it. The Government's view is that the most effective way of doing that is to prohibit it. In Ireland's case and the case of all EU member states, exclusive competence in the field of external trade both in goods and services rests with the Union. In order to act lawfully within the Union's legal order, we need to find a basis on which to do that at a national level. As Mr. Keown has said, the Government's preference and view is that it would be a far more effective method of dealing with this for us to act at the level of the European Union.