Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is clear, despite that it has not been publicly acknowledged by Government, that Ireland voted for Saudi Arabia to be part of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The question beggared belief with many people, given Saudi Arabia's record on women's rights and human rights. Maybe the answer lies in the question in front of the Minister about the massive spike in the licences issued - documented in the report published by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation about arms exports - in 2015 and the first six months of 2016 to the Saudi Arabian alliance, which has been involved in the bombardment of Yemen. What is going on in a neutral country, particularly when all of the weapons involved are in category ML5? It includes very serious activities, such as bombing computers, gun-laying equipment, weapon control systems and so on.

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