Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I too will welcome the final passage of this Bill into enactment when it is signed by Uachtarán na hÉireann as it represents an important development in legislation in this area. This applies particularly to the area of licensing and the introduction of a series of controls on an industry that few members of the public in Ireland wish to see develop. On those grounds, the legislation should help prevent the unnecessary development of such an industry.

Nevertheless, it is only part of a policy approach aimed at ensuring the arms industry does not develop a strong base here. We need to consider introducing legislation or ethical investment guidelines to govern the use of State moneys, specifically the National Pensions Reserve Fund. We need to ensure the State does not unwittingly encourage the development of the arms industry, either domestically or internationally. the legislation will be a cornerstone for our enterprise policies for international trade and I wish the Minister of State every success in implementing it.