The Department of Defence has admitted it’s agreed to keep its interactions with lobbyists for international arms manufacturers “confidential”.
The Irish Defence and Security Association (IDSA) – whose members include Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and other arms manufacturers – engages with the department on the "understanding" the interactions are kept private.
The department told the Information Commissioner, in a submission related to an appeal filed by The Ditch, that IDSA "influences and informs" Irish “military capabilities and ongoing operations”. The department further claimed that releasing details "would likely harm the trust" between them and could lead to reduced sharing of information.
Disclosure ‘would likely harm the trust that exists’ with arms dealers
The Department of Defence admitted to the agreement with the Irish Defence and Security Association as it argued against the release of details about a September 2023 meeting.
The meeting was between the European Defence Agency's Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý and IDSA representatives and was facilitated by the department.
The department refused to identify who attended or which IDSA representatives were involved in arranging the meeting, claiming it would breach personal privacy. "It was clear the records contained personal information," a department staff member told The Ditch last year.
In a submission to the Information Commissioner the department has now said that IDSA engages with the department “understanding” the details will remain private.
“The IDSA clearly stated that the information provided to the department was provided on the understanding that it would be treated as confidential," the Department of Defence told the Information Commissioner.
After an appeal filed last April by The Ditch, the Information Commissioner ordered the release of some details about the meeting, while allowing the Department of Defence to keep the names of industry representatives who attended the meeting secret.
The department claimed disclosure "would likely harm the trust that exists” between itself and IDSA but also “between the department and the IDSA members." It added that "some information supplied by the IDSA in the future may be reduced or withheld at the advice of its members."
The submission also acknowledged IDSA's broader role in Irish defence policy.
The department told the commissioner the group "creates linkages between industry, academia and defence at home and across Europe" and assists in “evaluating technology” that can "support defence capabilities and ongoing operations."
Last year IDSA refused to disclose who its members are following queries by The Ditch. It has since admitted that it counts several international arms manufacturers among its members.
IDSA’s directors are UCD professor Ben Tonra, executive director at the Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy Caitríona Heinl and former Irish soldier Pat O’Connor.
A Department of Defence spokesperson said, “The section 22 review was published only yesterday by the Office of the Information Commissioner. The department will give full consideration to the review and the decision. Until such time as that consideration has been completed, the department has no comment to make.”
IDSA has been contacted for comment.