Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 247: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has committed to implementing all the recommendations of the Forfás report on the export of armaments and dual-use items with particular reference to the non-legislative recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27154/07]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As indicated by my colleague, Minister McGuinness, in the Dáil debate on 4 October on the Control of Exports Bill, my Department has acted on the non-legislative recommendations of the Forfás review on the export licensing of military and dual-use goods in Ireland.

The export licensing function has remained with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, as recommended by the review. However, much has been done to improve coordination with the other Government Departments and state agencies in particular the Department of Foreign Affairs which is consulted on all licence applications with foreign policy considerations and the Customs authorities of the Revenue Commissioners. In this regard, an official has been seconded by the Department of Foreign Affairs to a senior managerial role in the Licensing Unit of my Department.

It is my intention to transform the Inter Departmental Group established to oversee production of the Report this group into a standing Inter Departmental Committee which will take forward responsibility for coordinating the work of the Departments and agencies in the area of export control. A priority of the Inter Departmental Group is the establishment of a Technical Advisory Panel to act as a specialist resource for my Department on technical questions related to the licensing process.

Acting on the recommendation of the Forfás Review, a project to develop an online export licensing system has been underway for the past year and the system, OELAS, will be released to exporters in the next few weeks. My Department has developed an outreach to industry programme for export control. A good working relationship has been established with individual companies and with appropriate umbrella organisations and they are regularly briefed on the latest developments in this sector. My Department organised the first ever export control seminar for exporters of controlled goods in June 2006 in Farmleigh, at which a Users Guide and Customers Charter to Export Licensing was launched.

In conclusion, I would like to reassure the House that I remain committed to implementing the recommendations of the Forfás report.