Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2014
93. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she has had any significant discussions with her counterpart in Northern Ireland since being appointed; the actions she will take to address the issue of cross-Border crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26697/14]
View answerSince taking office as Minister for Justice and Equality I have spoken by telephone with my counterpart in Northern Ireland, Minister of Justice David Ford MLA. I will meet with Minister Ford later this week in the framework of the regular meetings under the Intergovernmental Agreement on co-operation in criminal justice matters. This will afford us an opportunity to discuss the broad range of productive North-South police and criminal justice co-operation which is taking place and which involves the Justice Departments, the police services and the other criminal justice agencies North and South, who are engaged in workstreams covering youth justice, victims issues, social diversity, registered offenders, probation and forensic science.
On 29 May I met with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers MP, who is my British Government counterpart in respect of security-related matters in Northern Ireland. The meeting provided us with an opportunity to review the security situation, in particular the persistent threat posed by paramilitary groups on this island, and also to reflect on the close and ongoing co-operation, particularly between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI, in dealing with this threat. The two Governments are committed to supporting the police and security services in their vital work in this regard.
While there is, understandably, a particular Garda operational focus on combating the paramilitary threat, there is also strong co-operation in combating serious organised crime, such as fuel and tobacco fraud, which adopts an interagency approach involving the police, customs and assets recovery services North and South working together. The Gardaí and the PSNI also work closely together across the range of other policing functions.
I believe we can continue to enhance and develop such co-operation across the board in order to improve community safety for all on this island.
