Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a company (details supplied) can have EU secret clearance certificates issued to it; and the reason that at present only State employees are granted EU secret clearance certificates here. [23168/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The company to which the Deputy refers in his question has been in correspondence with me and I will respond directly to them in respect of the matters they have raised. EU clearance is a matter arranged through Ireland's National Security Authority which is based in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It was established in order to provide clearance for Government officials and Defence Forces personnel engaging with the EU institutional framework and other international organisations in circumstances where there may be questions of access to certain confidential or security-sensitive information. It is not the practice at present to provide security vetting for private companies.