Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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58. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment how many dual-use licences were issued to exporters to trade in dual-use items with Israel since October 2023; if he has any concern that duel use items being traded with Israel are currently being used against civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Israel-Hamas war; what actions his Department has taken under the Control of Exports Act 2008 to end this trade if these items are being used to target civilians and civilian infrastructure. [5674/24]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 58 together.

My Department is the National Competent Authority with responsibility for Export Controls, including Controls on defence-related exports and exports of Dual-Use goods. Controls on the export of Dual-use items are administered by my Department, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council setting up a Union regime for the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use items. Dual-use items are products and components, including software and technology, that can be used for both civil and military applications.

In conducting assessments of applications for export licences, my officials carry out a series of checks to ensure, as far as possible, that the item to be exported will be used by the stated end-user for the stated end-use and will not be used for illicit purposes.

As part of their assessment, my officials seek the views of the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of all applications for export licences. Both my own Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs review all dual-use export licence applications against the eight assessment criteria set out in Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP – including “Respect for human rights in the country of final destination as well as respect by that country of international humanitarian law” and "Internal situation in the country of final destination, as a function of the existence of tensions or armed conflicts".

In the period 7 October 2023 to date, my Department issued three individual dual-use export licences in respect of ICT hardware and software, to end users in Israel.