Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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45. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the petition signed by more than 22,000 persons highlighting the arms trade with the state of Israel presented to An Taoiseach by members of an organisation (details supplied) on 4 October 2017. [51490/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the petition referenced by the Deputy, which was presented to the Taoiseach in October and has since been brought to my attention.

I am pleased to inform the House that Ireland does not have an arms industry and is not therefore an exporter of weapons to any country, other than a small amount of sporting guns. National legislation imposes a licensing requirement in respect of items on the EU Common Military List, including rifles and shotguns for sporting/hunting purposes. These applications are assessed on a case by case basis taking account of the EU Common Position, EU sanctions and the Arms Control Treaty. Licenses have also been granted for ‘dual use’ items, relating not to arms, but to components such as engine parts and to software. The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is responsible for issuing licenses.

As regards the purchase of arms by Ireland from Israel, the acquisition of military equipment by the Defence Forces is the responsibility of the Department of Defence. I believe that the principal criterion used is the best equipment which can be obtained for the protection and operational effectiveness of Irish troops, and such equipment is often available from a limited number of sources.