Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

We have a strong legislative framework for regulating the dual use issue, which the Minister for Foreign Affairs piloted through the Houses. Deputy Ryan's question suggested that Enterprise Ireland was acting as Ireland's representative at the EDA. In the interest of Enterprise Ireland, it is important to clarify that it does not act as Ireland's representative on the European Defence Agency. Enterprise Ireland provides technical advices to a number of Departments. For example, Enterprise Ireland provided the technical and scientific assessments which informed the decisions taken by the Department of Agriculture and Food on the rationalisation of the dairy industry. When the IDA, for example, grant aids research and development projects for multinational companies, Enterprise Ireland does the technical evaluations and assessments of the projects concerned.

In this case, the Minister for Defence needed technical advice regarding a research and development programme in which his Department is involved. I do not have specific information about the programme. The Minister for Defence determined that Ireland should participate in the programme and wished to identify companies which could participate in it.

There is always a crossover, particularly in the area of information technology, between civilian and defence uses. Companies with expertise in peacekeeping equipment and crisis management systems could play a role in the development of emerging technologies which would not undermine our neutrality or non-alignment policy. We must be careful not to rain on everyone's parade as soon as we see the word "defence" on an agenda.

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