Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

As I indicated, I will look at the issue. There is quite a bit of transparency in the existing document and, for example, it shows the military licences by destination. None of the countries to which the Deputy referred is on that list. There is quite a bit of information on the different types of products, setting out the criteria used which are pretty robust. The document details all the UN sanctions, respect for international humanitarian law, attitude towards terrorism and the nature of alliances. The criteria used are very clear, and denials are detailed where they have occurred. It complies with the various requirements of EU regulations where dual products are involved.

I am content that the system is robust and I will consider the extent to which we can provide more information. I will revert to the Deputy on a date for publication of the 2011 report, which will go into the level of detail I outlined. We have published the overall figures for 2011, including the number and value of licences in the three broad categories.

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