Michael Ahern (Cork East, Fianna Fail)

Section 9 introduces a provision for an annual report of the operation of the Act to be prepared and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. This is in line with a key recommendation of the first FÁS review and a response that calls for greater transparency in the area of export controls. I welcome the opportunity which will be provided by the publication of the annual report to provide accurate information on the export of military and dual-use goods from Ireland and to counter some of the misapprehension which result from sensationalist media coverage of this issue.

With regard to the amendment, the non-governmental organisation sector frequently seeks information on actual exports by named companies. I would like to be clear about this; I do not consider it appropriate to provide such data. Information submitted by companies in connection with export licence applications is provided in confidence. It is almost always commercially sensitive and there may be security and international relations issues around it. I am also concerned that the disclosure of such detailed information could prejudice or impair enforcement of and compliance with applicable Irish and European legislation. I am committed, however, to providing information on an aggregate value of actual exports of goods under licence sorted by category and the country of destination, as I am firmly of the opinion that this will present a much more accurate picture than reliance on licensed values which, by their nature, tend to be considerable over-estimations.

On a more general point, I consider this amendment, which could be interpreted as restricting the information to be provided on the data listed, to be unnecessarily prescriptive and, if accepted, would impinge upon the legitimate policy-making function of the Minister of the day with regard to the scope and content of the annual report. Therefore, I cannot accept the amendment.