Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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908. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of dual-use export licences granted by Ireland for exports destined for the State of Israel in each of the years 2018 to 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42226/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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As the National Competent authority for export controls, my responsibilities centre around the control of exports of dual-use and military items under EU and national legislation. These controls 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.

The primary purpose of export controls is not to block trade or exports, but to enable the free movement of legitimate goods while ensuring that certain sensitive categories are subject to appropriate regulation. These controls are designed to manage risk, uphold international peace and security, and ensure Ireland’s compliance with its international obligations.

The bulk of dual-use exports from Ireland, including those to Israel, are mainstream business ICT products, both hardware and software (networking, data storage, cybersecurity etc). They are categorised as dual-use items as a consequence of fact that they incorporate strong encryption for ICT security purposes.

All export licence applications are considered by my officials in accordance with criteria set out within the relevant dual-use and military EU and National Regulations and with Ireland’s international obligations and responsibilities as members of non-proliferation regimes and export control arrangements. Each application is assessed individually, considering the nature of the items, the destination country, the identity of the end-user, and the intended end-use. A range of complex factors is considered in every application, including national security, regional stability, and human rights concerns.

There is extensive engagement between my officials and exporters should any questions or concerns arise with any application for any destination, including Israel. If, after engagement, there are any outstanding concerns over the stated end use, that the goods being exported will not be used for the end use or by the specified end user as detailed in the application or if the exporter does not provide enough information on the intended end-use for my officials to make an informed decision, the application for a licence is denied.

In applying export controls in a robust and transparent way, my Department ensures that legitimate business transactions by reputable Irish traders are not damaged in any way while also ensuring that exports of controlled goods are thoroughly risk assessed in the context of ongoing conflicts, diversion of goods and humanitarian considerations.

The attached table shows the number of individual dual-use export licence applications, in respect of end-users in Israel, approved by my Department in years 2018 to 2024 and to date in 2025.