Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2021
713. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the measures that have been taken to ensure continuity of co-operation when it comes to policing on the island of Ireland following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1101/21]
View answerOn 24 December 2020, the EU and UK negotiating teams reached agreement in principle on a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which came into effect from the end of the transition period, 31 December 2020. The Agreement includes cooperation on law enforcement and criminal justice. In particular, the EU and the UK have agreed to establish a new framework for law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. This will allow for strong cooperation between national police and judicial authorities, including with respect to mutual legal assistance and extradition.
Following the implementation of the new TCA, the Minister for Justice put into effect a planned range of measures prepared to ensure the relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom in the Justice and Home Affairs field will remain strong and that co-operation is maintained in the public interest.
Central to this are elements of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Act 2020, which was commenced on 17 December 2020. Parts 16 to 20 of the Act contain provisions to deal with the implications of Brexit in a number of key areas in the justice sector.
While the provisions of the European Arrest Warrant no longer apply to the United Kingdom, under the EU-UK TCA, the swift surrender of criminals between the EU and the UK under a new arrest warrant system, avoiding lengthy extradition procedures, thanks to streamlined procedures, strict deadlines, robust safeguards, procedural rights and judicial control, will be enabled.
The Agreement also includes a bridging mechanism, subject to certain conditions, pending the adoption of data protection adequacy decisions, such that for a specified period transmission of personal data from the EU to the UK is not regarded as a transfer to a third country. This bridging solution will mean in practice the continuing exchange from 1 January 2021 of vital law enforcement data between Ireland and the UK.
The above measures are of particular value in supporting the existing excellent operational cooperation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI in respect of the full range of policing activities.
There are, of course, other international mechanisms that will also continue to be used to support international cooperation, such as INTERPOL in relation to organised crime matters and mutual assistance provisions.
There is also a range of mechanisms in place to facilitate policing on the island of Ireland. A joint Cross-Border Policing Strategy is operated between the two services. The Joint Agency Task Force is led by senior officers of both police services and other law enforcement agencies, and focuses on tackling organised and cross jurisdictional crime.
I can assure the Deputy of the shared commitment to combatting crime and security threats on the island of Ireland.
