Written answers

Wednesday, 16 September 2009

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Foreign Conflicts

9:00 pm

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 213: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures she takes to ensure that imported goods purporting to be from Israel are not from illegal Israeli settlements and thus do not benefit from the preferential trade agreement the EU has with Israel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31603/09]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 214: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the value of the goods originating in illegal Israeli settlements imported into Ireland in 2008. [31604/09]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 215: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to an article from an Israeli business magazine (details supplied) which refers to methods that businesses based in illegal settlements use to circumvent paying the correct import taxes for goods they export to EU countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31605/09]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 216: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount of money brought into the Exchequer by charging the higher import tax on goods from illegal Israeli settlements. [31606/09]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 218: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the names of the companies and the products originating in illegal Israeli settlements imported into Ireland in 2008; and the breakdown of the value of imports from each company. [31608/09]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 to 216, inclusive, and 218 together.

I am not familiar with the article mentioned by the Deputy but I would like to assure him that Ireland, along with EU partners, regards all Israeli settlements in either the West Bank or East Jerusalem as illegal under international law and accordingly any goods produced in those settlements clearly should not benefit from any preferential trade arrangements between the EU and Israel.

Trade relations between the EU and Israel are currently governed by the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This provides preferential customs status for certain goods traded between the EU and Israel. Consequently, some companies operating in Israel may benefit from exemptions from, or reductions of, import tax or duties when exporting to the EU. Goods exported to the EU from illegal Israeli settlements cannot benefit from these preferential arrangements. In order to ensure that products from these settlements do not benefit from preferential treatment and exemptions, exports to the EU from Israel are subject to proof of origin requirements. This requirement enables customs authorities in each EU member state to identify goods from Israeli settlements and to apply the relevant import duties.

As the competent Irish authority, the Revenue Commissioners Customs Service implement rules of origin controls on imports of goods into Ireland from Israel and Israeli settlements and apply the appropriate tariff duties. The official import data that is collated by the Central Statistics Office, lists the value of imports by reference to the country of origin and also the main categories of commodities involved for each country as a whole. Breakdowns by individual exporting companies or by areas/towns within the relevant country, are not compiled. Accordingly it is not possible to provide the detailed information sought by the Deputy in this case.

I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners however, that, in the limited time available and based on an initial examination of their records, they have identified total imports from Israel to the value of €71,658,555 in the period from 1 October 2008 to date but it has not been possible to arrive at a definitive statement of the total duty collected in these cases. Within the aforementioned amount, entitlement to preferential duty was claimed in respect of goods to the value of €31,400,605. It is not possible to state with any certainty the reasons why the remaining goods would not have qualified for preference.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.