Irish arms trade - Report delay unacceptable

Most Irish people would probably be surprised to learn that this country earned as much as €3bn from the arms trade last year.

That is the estimate of Amnesty International and the Labour Party.

Official figures indicate export licences were issued for €32.5m worth of strictly military goods, but the figure for “dual use” equipment soared to €6.7bn. Between 40% and 50% of “dual-use” exports can be used in military systems, which could mean that the arms trade was worth around €3bn in 2009. Software and chemical components can be used for military as well as purely commercial purposes, with the result that such items are usually exported under “dual use” licences.