53. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment following the recent publication of an FOI request from his Department (details supplied) about the export of dual-use goods to armaments companies with ties to the Israeli military, to provide all documents and memos related to this approval, [67592/26]

Controls on the export of dual-use items 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 records in question were released under the Freedom of Information Act, with certain information withheld in accordance with the provisions of that Act. I do not propose to release information that was redacted as part of the FOI process. While the Department strives to ensure transparency in decision making this must be balanced against the Department's responsibility to protect information provided by companies in the course of complying with export control and licensing requirements where disclosure may impact the commercial confidentiality and security of exporters, including their staff and facilities. This is a fundamental principle of how export controls are managed responsibly and in line with international best practice.

Where the requester is dissatisfied with a decision made under the Freedom of Information Act, including the application of redactions, the appropriate course is to avail of the review and appeal mechanisms provided for in the FOI legislation, which I understand the requester has done.