2026-06-16

140. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for an update on his Department's investigation into exports to Russia from a company (details supplied); when the investigation is expected to be completed and if the findings will be reported in a full and transparent manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45931/26]

The Minister was recently on the airwaves speaking about the huge volume of exports to Russia from the State and assuring us that the figures presented by the Central Statistics Office were, in fact, incorrect. He is on record saying that the CSO was the gold standard for statistics and that a current investigation of the plant in Aughinish would be carried out by the Department. We all want openness about this. Will the Minister update the House on the investigation and confirm whether it has been completed? Will he publish its findings?

I thank the Deputy for this important question. I will first make a clarification. I never said the CSO was incorrect. I said the management of Aughinish Alumina had furnished incorrect information to the CSO and that the company was working with the CSO to rectify same. I want to be clear. The CSO is the gold standard and I never implied it was incorrect in any way. Ireland remains unequivocal in its continuing support for Ukraine after Russia's unjustified invasion. I remind the Deputy that Aughinish Alumina is not subject to any sanctions by the EU and alumina is not a sanctioned good. Therefore, its export to other countries, including Russia, is not restricted. For context, the Aughinish Alumina plant is Europe's largest refinery and one of the most important suppliers to the EU aluminium sector. Since it began production in 1983, the Aughinish plant has also been a supplier of energy to the national grid and is a significant employer in the Limerick area. My Department is currently investigating the matters raised in a recent report in The Irish Times report about Aughinish Alumina and its exports to Russia. I take the matter of potential sanctions violations very seriously. The report indicates the potential for the alumina being refined and ultimately processed into aluminium for use by the Russian military and sourced through a sanctioned entity. Therefore, the Deputy will appreciate that this is a highly complex investigation with multiple strands. It has necessitated my Department's engagement with other bodies within the State and with other member states, as well as with the company itself. Officials within my Department are working independently on this investigation. Upon its conclusion, engagements will be had at official and political level with the European Commission to discuss, as appropriate. I am not in a position to comment on specifics of the investigation while it is ongoing because to do so could adversely affect its outcome. I must allow due process to be adhered to. I recognise the high-profile nature of this investigation. The Government will make a statement once it is completed. I cannot give a timeframe for the conclusion of my Department's investigation. While the Department is working as quickly as possible, it is crucial that this investigation is carried out thoroughly and in line with due process where all aspects are considered.

I thank the Minister for the reply. Can he give an approximate time? Will it be by the end of the year, the middle of next year or the end of next year? As the Minister said, there is a question and it is valid. Legitimate questions are being asked about the plant exporting raw material to Russia to fuel the illegal attacks on Ukraine. Everybody in the House appreciates the level of employment the company provides in the Limerick and north Kerry area. At the same time, nobody is saying that its products should be used to assist an illegal war effort. There is a question mark. Society is questioning how it has been permitted to continue and why the Government has been so slow to conduct an investigation. The Ukrainian Embassy has expressed serious concern about the continued sales to Russia, including for weapons such as ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles and Shahed drones, the weapons we hear are being used against Ukrainian cities every week.

Thank you, Deputy.

I will finish on this. Even if it was an error to state that 80% of the company's exports went to Russia in 2025 and the true figure is 45%, that is still unacceptable.

We need to ascertain where that 45% is going because there are many aspects of the economic model of every country that requires alumina. The material is used for making medical devices and in the food processing and automotive sectors. Obviously, the EU is a very significant importer of alumina as it is a critical raw material. It is important to put that on record. I refute the statement that we were slow to commence an investigation. Once this report was published in The Irish Times and other authorities came forward with information, we immediately opened an investigation. We are in contact with the Swedish authorities and the Ukrainian authorities about the evidence they have received. We are updating the European Commission weekly on the investigation. Ireland has supported robustly and unanimously every one of the 21 rounds of sanctions against Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. We will not tolerate it if it is proven that alumina is ending up in the Russian military complex. The Government of Ireland will take action in that regard.

It is important, as I think the Minister will accept, that the Government step in, maybe with EU officials, to diversify this plant's market away from Russia because jobs are needed in the area and must be saved. That will not be an issue if the Russian exports are stopped, so it is a distraction to frame this as a risk to Limerick jobs. There is a huge global market for alumina and aluminium products outside of Russia - in Europe and other stable economies. The main reason alumina is not on the EU's Russian sanctions list is that any sanction would disproportionately damage European industry. This does not absolve the Government of its responsibility to prevent Aughinish Alumina from fuelling the Russia war effort and drone campaign against Ukrainians. We do not want to see any items or products from Ireland being used to facilitate weaponry directly or indirectly - we are a neutral country - in any illegal war in Ukraine, or anywhere else for that matter. We must be completely confident no products are ending up in the hands of the military. Will the Minister give an approximate timeline for the completion of the review? Has he given the individuals preparing the report a deadline by which he wants to see results?

As the Deputy said, jobs must be saved. It is hard to reconcile that with his further statement in relation to Russia. We have to be clear that products are being exported to Russia that are being used in the Russian military complex, action will have to be taken. There are no easy answers to this. There are a huge number of jobs involved. The plant is responsible for a critical raw material. Any action would have big implications for Europe in the context of its security, for our grid, given that approximately 200,000 homes are powered by the plant, and for the Port of Foynes. There are serious implications but, as a country that upholds the rule of law and takes its obligations to citizens and human rights very seriously, we have to be to the fore on this. I do not want to pressure those doing the investigation. I know a lot of meetings are taking place this week in respect of it. I hope to have the report very shortly. The investigation will not go on for months or years. It will be a quick investigation and I hope it will begin a process of ascertaining whether the supply chain is concealed, or not. What I am trying to establish here is whether there is a concealed supply chain and whether the company can prove that to the independent investigation and the Commission.