Firms got licences for ‘military’exports

IRISH-based firms were last year granted licences to export €4.2bn worth of parts that can be used for military purposes.

The licences were issued to allow companies to export mostly hi-tech components that are marked down as being for civilian use but are capable of driving an array of military and state security hardware.

The €4.2m figure was confirmed by the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment in answer to a parliamentary question by Labour TD Michael D Higgins.

Opposition politicians and human rights groups campaigning for greater transparency in Ireland's connections to the international arms trade expressed their astonishment at the scale of the exports.

Yet, according to Department of Trade documents, every piece of the more than €4bn worth of equipment largely electronic, computer and telecom components was for civilian use.

China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, the Ivory Coast and Turkey were among the dozens of countries receiving equipment in recent months.

The scale of Ireland's involvement in producing goods capable of being used for military or security purposes finally nails the lie that it is not involved in the international arms trade, says Amnesty.

Jim Loughlan, of Amnesty, said: "The department has admitted there's no system of post export checks. If cryptographic equipment is being exported for a bank in Hong Kong, then that's fine but if it's being used to monitor Falun Gong and helping them to track them down, then there's a clear human rights issue," he said.

Labour deputy Michael D Higgins added: "It's hard to think that you could have such volumes and not be involved in some way in the arms trade."

In addition to the dual-use goods, over €34m worth of purely military hardware was exported from Ireland last year. Software developed by Iona Technologies is used in the firing mechanism for Tomahawk cruise missiles and by the US Army Tank Command for simulation research into battlefield exercises.

Navan-based Timoney Technology is developing an unmanned military vehicle in partnership with Boeing.

The Department of Trade has commissioned a probe into the country's export controls, though officials still insist exporters must specify end use and exporters are aware of the penalties for breaches.

The investigation was initiated "to recommend how best we can modernise to ensure full compliance with Ireland's international obligations," Minister of State Michael Ahern said in a Dáil answer to Mr Higgins.