Export Controls
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-16
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Peter Burke (FG), Longford-Westmeath

My Department's responsibilities centre on the control of exports of dual-use and military items under EU and national legislation. Controls and export of dual-use items are administered by my Department in accordance with EU Regulation No. 2021/821 of the European Parliament and the Council, setting up a Union regime for export controls, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use items. The bulk of dual-use exports from Ireland, including those to end users in Israel, are mainstream business ICT products, both hardware and software.
They are categorised as dual-use items as a consequence of the fact that they incorporate strong encryption for ICT security purposes.
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. 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 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. Ireland’s export control decisions are guided by the EU common position and its criteria, which include respect for human rights, international obligations, regional stability and risk of diversion to another end use or end user.
The risk profile of an application is impacted by current geopolitical factors, the end user, the items in question and their ability to be misused. This risk profile can change on a case-by-case basis. If an application is deemed high risk and the exporter is unable to provide strong assurances to mitigate the risks identified, the application will be denied. As each application is treated on a case-by-case basis, the available verifiable information at the time and associated risk assessments can change from application to application.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-16