Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I wish Deputy Connolly well in her campaign in the weeks ahead. She is a brave lady.

As the national competent authority for export controls, my responsibilities centre around the control of exports of dual-use and military items under EU and national legislation. These controls are administered by the Department in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council setting up a European Union regime for the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use items. The primary purpose of export controls is not to block trade or exports but to enable the free movement of legitimate goods while ensuring that certain sensitive categories are subject to appropriate regulation. These controls are designed to manage risk, uphold international peace and security and ensure Ireland’s compliance with its international obligations.

To date in 2025, a total of nine individual dual-use licences have been issued in respect of end users in Israel. Four were issued in quarter 1 with a maximum value of €797,000. In quarter 2, three were issued with a maximum value of €93,000. To date in quarter 3, two licences have been issued with a maximum value of €172,000. There has been one refusal to date in 2025 in respect of an end user in Israel, which was refused in quarter 1. The bulk of dual-use exports from Ireland, including those to Israel, are mainstream business ICT products, both hardware and software - networking, data storage and cybersecurity. They are categorised as dual-use items because they incorporate strong encryption for ICT security purposes.

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