The Minister of State for Trade and Commerce, Michael Ahern, has confirmed that the Government has approved the drafting of new legislation regarding export controls for military goods.
Mr Ahern said the move follows a review by Forfás to establish how Ireland can modernise and strengthen current controls and to ensure full compliance with international obligations.
The proposed legislation provides for the introduction of new controls on arms brokering and on the provision of certain types of technical assistance.
Existing laws will also be updated to provide for increased penalties for non-compliance with export control laws and for the legal right for the inspection and audit of companies that export military goods.
Mr Ahern said the legislation would ensure that procedures here are not overly restrictive as to make Ireland an unattractive location by international standards for mobile activity in legitimate industries.
