Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I tabled a very similar question that is further down the Question Paper. I was taken unawares as the questions were not grouped. That is the Department's decision, but the two questions are on the exact same issue.

I have the most serious concerns about the increase, with seven times the amount of exports within a year. Could we get some explanation for that? How are the decisions made? Which licenses were refused? On what basis were they refused? Were licences refused in respect of exports to Israel? We are told about the ones that were given and we know they have increased exponentially, but what is the breakdown? How are the decisions made?

We are reassured that the decision is made in a robust manner. I have been here since 2016; I do not take reassurances. I certainly do not take them at face value when it comes to what Israel is doing in Palestine. The time of reassurance has gone. We need to know exactly how the decisions are made and how they are refused.

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