Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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49. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to confirm that no dual-use goods manufactured in Ireland and granted an export licence have been used in the killing of Palestinian civilians since 7 October 2023; the number of referrals made to An Garda Síochána in circumstances where a criminal offence under the dual-use regulation is suspected, by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29345/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department is the National Competent Authority with responsibility for Export Controls, including Controls on defence-related exports and exports of dual-use goods. Ireland operates Export Controls to the highest standards, in accordance with EU law and international best practice.

Dual-use items are products and components, including software and technology, that can be used for both civil and military applications. The bulk of dual-use exports from Ireland (87%) are mainstream business ICT products . They are categorised as dual-use items as a consequence of the fact that they incorporate strong encryption for ICT security purposes.

My Department has safeguards built into the licensing system which enable robust checks and cross-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.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment consults with the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of all export licence applications and seeks observations on any foreign policy concerns that may arise in respect of all proposed exports. Such factors are subject to review in the light of developments in a given region. Observations which may arise from this examination are considered in the final assessment of any licence application.

There are also significant safeguards built in to post shipment verification. Authorised officers within my Department conduct site visits and audits with or without notice. They assess compliance with conditions of the licence, including an examination of the export documentation, internal compliance controls to ensure prevention of diversion and circumvention, and that the staff of the exporting company are adequately trained and resourced. My Department liaises frequently with An Garda Síochána but it would not be appropriate to provide details relating to potential investigations.

The Control of Exports Act, 2023, soon to be commenced, will provide authorised officers of the Department with increased powers to investigate potential infringements and will ensure that the penalties for infringements of the regulations are proportionate, graduated and dissuasive.