Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 21 Jul 2016

Vol. 919 No. 2

European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training: Motion

Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (Deputy David Stanton)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann approve the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to accept the following measure:

Regulation (EU) 2015/2219 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25th November, 2015 on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) and repealing and replacing Council Decision 2005/681/JHA,

a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 13th April, 2016.

I am very pleased to move this motion in the House today. It gives me an opportunity to describe the service provided by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training, CEPOL, and highlight the benefit it brings to An Garda Síochána. The motion, if passed, will allow Ireland to exercise its right under Protocol No. 21 of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to opt in to the EU regulation on CEPOL.

CEPOL, which is the European police college, was established in 2005. It brings together senior police officers from across the EU and aims to encourage cross-border co-operation in the fight against crime and the maintenance of public security and law and order through training and exchange programmes and the sharing of research and best practice. Since 2005, An Garda Síochána has played an important part in CEPOL EU training by organising courses in the Garda college for participants from EU member states to attend. These include training programmes on language development, human rights, community policing, confiscation of assets and counterfeit medicines. The expertise of members of An Garda Síochána has proven beneficial to CEPOL programmes through their involvement in training programmes in other member states on a wide variety of policing topics including management, public order and crowd management, issues regarding the Schengen Agreement, counterfeit goods, organised crime and drugs. In more recent times, CEPOL has provided training programmes to address emerging policing and security issues such as fundamentalism and immigration. As a result, CEPOL has been successful in developing the talents of gardaí and their ability to network and co-operate with other European counterparts. As we can see from the almost daily terrorist attacks that have begun to define the world we live in, terrorism and organised crime are constantly changing forms and means. The sharing of good practice, prevention techniques and use of modern tools to address these threats is vital in our efforts to protect citizens and combat crime.

The new CEPOL regulation, which replaced the 2005 council decision, was introduced to enhance CEPOL's operational mandate and reforms its governance in line with general principles laid down in the Lisbon treaty. The general aim of the regulation is to improve EU security through the implementation by CEPOL of a new training approach for EU law enforcement officers consistent with the evolving priorities for operational law enforcement co-operation. Moreover, the regulation has widened the target group of law enforcement officials that CEPOL should serve as well as expanding its research function and association with relevant bodies. The regulation was drafted on the basis of the European Commission’s communication on the law enforcement training scheme, known as LETS. The LETS aims to make the EU’s response to common security challenges more effective, to raise the standard of policing across the EU and to stimulate the development of a common law enforcement culture as a means of enhancing mutual trust and co-operation. In this regard, the regulation identifies and addresses gaps in existing law enforcement training on cross-border matters by supporting and, where appropriate, co-ordinating the delivery of training by European and national centres of excellence. The regulation provides CEPOL with the appropriate legal mandate and necessary resources to implement the training effort envisaged in the communication.

In addition, the scope of CEPOL’s mandate is broadened so that it can support, develop, deliver and co-ordinate learning activities for law enforcement officials of all ranks and not only police officers of senior rank, as is the case under the old CEPOL decision, as well as to officers of customs and of other relevant services dealing with cross-border issues. This means that if we opt in, our customs officials will also be able to benefit from the training provided. Perhaps equally as valuable, the regulation ensures that the agency remains network-based, bringing together the network of training institutes of the member states for the law enforcement officials and liaising with a single national unit in each member state. This, as I am sure Deputies will appreciate, will allow An Garda Síochána to continue to build networks of counterparts in other EU jurisdictions which can be used for other operational intelligence sharing outside the CEPOL framework. Furthermore, the core objectives of CEPOL were updated and clarified so that the agency may improve awareness and knowledge of international and EU instruments and the institutions, agencies and bodies of the EU. It will now also encourage the development of regional and bilateral co-operation among the member states and address specific criminal or policing thematic areas where training at EU level can add value, in addition to the national level. In summary, the regulation expands and provides clarity on the role of CEPOL and improves governance in the management, accountability and procedures for the CEPOL secretariat and the member states involved in police training. For all of these reasons, I hope Deputies can agree that Ireland’s participation in the regulation will be of tremendous value to An Garda Síochána and our customs service. It will also send a clear message that Ireland continues to support CEPOL and values the service it provides.

As the regulation came into effect on 1 July 2016, it is important to signal our desire to participate as soon as possible to ensure that An Garda Síochána continues to be part of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training, CEPOL, and benefits from the service it provides.

Deputies will be mindful of the importance of training for our law enforcement agencies. The Garda Inspectorate, in its report on the future of policing in Ireland from 2007, indicated that, historically, police services have dedicated substantial resources to recruit training but did not invest appropriately in the long-term professional development of personnel. The recently published Garda Síochána Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021 identifies training and development as a key requirement in developing a modern, efficient police service. It stresses that training is critical to the success of that modernisation programme and CEPOL can continue to provide a valuable service in this regard.

I strongly believe continued participation in CEPOL will provide huge benefit to An Garda Síochána and the Customs at no cost to the Irish Exchequer. Put simply, I can see no reason Ireland would not wish to participate in this regulation. It is clear, from all the reasons I have presented, that CEPOL delivers tangible benefits to our law enforcement agencies and, as such, I invite Deputies to support the motion before them. In so doing, Members will allow our police service to continue to benefit from the invaluable training provided by CEPOL and to learn from and engage with other European partners to assist in the fight against crime.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan

The 28th amendment to the Constitution approved by the people in October 2009 allowed Ireland to ratify the Lisbon treaty. That amendment changed Article 29 of the Constitution and expressly allowed Ireland to exercise options or discretions under Protocol No. 21 of the European treaty. Protocol No. 21 of the treaty allows Ireland and the United Kingdom to opt out of a number of the treaty's provisions governing security, policing and justice, but to our benefit, Article 4 of Protocol No. 21 allows Ireland to opt into some measures adopted by our European partners in respect of policing, security and justice, without the British so doing. This is what we seek to exercise here today because on 23 November 2015, the Council and European Parliament adopted Regulation (EU) 2015/2219, which enhances the operational mandate of CEPOL and reforms its governance. The general objective of the regulation is to improve EU security through the implementation by CEPOL of a new training approach for EU police and customs officers. The regulation was implemented on 1 July 2016. Under Article 29 of the Constitution, a resolution must be approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas if we wish to opt into a provision under Protocol No. 21. Fianna Fáil will support the motion before the House, as it will be of benefit to policing both in Ireland and in Europe.

It also is worth pointing out that we should be concentrating on the importance of education and improving excellence in our policing service as well as considering how it operates in a European context. Policing has become an extremely complex and difficult profession. If one considers some changes that have taken place in the area of criminality and the issues the Garda must investigate, one will note it has become a difficult and demanding profession. I will give examples of three recent changes that impose great demands on An Garda Síochána and which illustrate why it is so important to have greater training for the Garda and to seek to emphasise the importance of further training and education in An Garda Síochána. I refer first to the increasing complexity of certain financial crimes. It now is apparent that certain white collar crimes are of such financial complexity it is necessary to have great expertise to investigate them. We must have expertise in both forensic accounting and company law to be able to trace some of the alleged white collar crimes that take place. A second example of recent change is the use of the Internet, particularly in crimes against children. This requires great and increased levels of expertise in information technology and in how to examine computers. Finally, historic complaints require understanding on the part of An Garda Síochána that there must be an appreciation of the psychology as to why people legitimately take their time and delay in making complaints because of the impact the offence may have had upon them.

All these issues illustrate that policing is a demanding profession, and to improve it, we must place greater emphasis in Ireland on the requirement to improve the educational standards and expertise of An Garda Síochána. This perhaps could be done in three ways and I acknowledge they may be seeking to expand this in Europe and some European countries already allow for this. We first must improve and expand the professional development of An Garda Síochána in order that its members who seek to go on to do third level studies and who obtain third level qualifications are facilitated in so doing and derive benefit from so doing. Second, we must consider graduate recruitment into An Garda Síochána. While graduates are entitled to be recruited into An Garda Síochána, they derive no benefit from being recruited as a graduate. In other countries, there is some fast-track promotion for those who enter at a starting level and who have the benefit of a graduate degree. If a graduate degree is beneficial and useful, it should be of some benefit in a person's promotion up through the force. Third, we must also consider recruitment of people from other police forces, as well as members of the Garda Reserve. Many Irish gardaí went overseas and got jobs in Canadian police forces and a recruitment method is needed whereby they can be taken back in to the force at a sufficiently high level. All these measures emphasise the ongoing importance of education within An Garda Síochána and for this reason, Fianna Fáil will support this motion as we believe the European college of police is essential to improve the development of police forces throughout Europe.

Deputy David Cullinane

It has long been the position of Sinn Féin to support international co-operation on justice matters within a sovereign framework that ensures human rights compliance. Sinn Féin supports the State's participation in European Union-level and international co-operation in criminal justice matters where this clearly serves the public interest, but not to cede national sovereignty over or democratic oversight of such matters. In particular, we will resist any moves towards establishing exclusive EU competence over any area of justice, including that of police training. That said, Sinn Féin supports the practice of sharing knowledge and experience in an effort to improve standards. We wish to ensure that all EU and international co-operation in criminal justice matters, including when this simply pertains to training, complies fully with human rights standards and that any co-operation or voluntary harmonisation works to enhance human rights. I urge the Minister of State to ensure the Irish delegation and representatives to CEPOL reflect this.

As the Minister of State is aware, however, beyond this Sinn Féin has adopted a general policy of critical engagement on EU policies and legislative proposals. This means we are willing to support those we believe will be of benefit to the Irish people and will oppose those we believe will be detrimental. In deciding its position on justice matters, Sinn Féin examines any EU policy proposal against critical engagement criteria I will set out. The first is whether it respects or fundamentally compromises national sovereignty over justice. The second is whether it advances or rolls back human rights protections. The third is whether it respects or compromises the interests of smaller nations or minority groups within those nations. The fourth is whether the proposal was arrived at through democratic dialogue and consultation with civil society and fifth, whether its outworking will be transparent and subject to democratic accountability. Sinn Féin is not alone within the European Union in this regard, as many different countries, political parties and individuals within systems have similar types of approaches to these issues.

To be valid, any European Union harmonisation or co-operation measure in the area of justice or training for those engaged in the administration of justice should have as its objective the increased protection of human rights. I seek clarity from the Minister of State as to whether this is the case in this regard. I further ask the Minister of State to stipulate the number of officers who will be assigned to CEPOL as our communities already are suffering from the reduction in policing numbers and resources. Will the Minister of State indicate what resources will be allocated to CEPOL, as per section 4 of Article 6 in Chapter II of the regulation? I further ask the Minister of State to indicate whether the financial irregularities uncovered in CEPOL in the past have been addressed to his satisfaction. At one point, the European Court of Auditors found there had been a high number of breaches of EU administrative and financial rules at CEPOL and I hope the necessary changes have taken place.

Sinn Féin is committed to ensuring we have policing that reflects total human rights compliance. We need robust standards and systems to end and prevent into the future the types of systemic human rights abuses that have characterised police forces across this island in the past. Moreover, Sinn Féin believes that there is no inherent conflict between human rights and policing because good policing is the protection of human rights. This should be the core position of any learning activities steered by CEPOL and, ultimately, CEPOL should not be allowed to dictate the training needs of domestic police services. The Irish people alone have the right to determine policy questions and to set the law regarding the administration of justice in Ireland and the training of those who administer it. There should be a greatly increased role in civil society for advising on training matters for An Garda Síochána. For example, there is great scope for increased co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the domestic violence and sexual violence sectors. They are well placed to advise on further training for gardaí. This must be accompanied by appropriate resourcing.

Within a human rights based framework Sinn Féin supports international co-operation in the area of justice where this is necessary to fight crime and, in particular, cross-Border trafficking of drugs, weapons and human beings and in the interests of child protection. However, we believe it is equally essential to safeguard against the creation of further victims through human rights violations, so such measures must be compatible with human security and reflected in CEPOL training.

Deputy Brendan Howlin

The Labour Party supports the adoption of this regulation. CEPOL is the acronym for the European Police College, which continues to be a useful training device for police. In the international world of criminal activity, we need to have the expertise gathered from one nation shared. The European Police College was based in Bramshill in Hampshire up to September 2014, when it was then relocated to Budapest. Efforts were made at the time to have it relocated to Templemore but that did not come to pass and the college is now located in Budapest. It would have been useful to have the centre located here.

The European Police College is an important training centre and we support it. The aim of Europol is to share best policing practice. Its close cousin, CEPOL, is not as well known but is also really important as a training element to support the objectives of Europol. The original council proposal was to merge Europol and CEPOL but that was resisted by a number of member states at the time. What we have now is a stand-alone proposal in relation to CEPOL, which is better.

I would like to raise a couple of issues with the Minister of State in relation to how we do this type of business. I am minded by the comments of the two previous speakers. The fact that we are exercising a protocol on the position of the UK and Ireland to opt into a regulation in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice indicates that we were hangers on to a UK position when Article 4 of Protocol 21 was annexed to the Treaty of the European Union. In light of our co-operation with Britain on security matters, it was determined that we should have the same opt-in or opt-out mechanism as the UK. What will be the impact of the British decision to exit the European Union on this protocol, our continued co-operation in police and justice matters on an all-island basis and on an east-west basis with the United Kingdom? Have these issues been explored? I presume we can continue to use the existing protocol for future opt-ins or opt-outs or will it be necessary to modify it subsequent to the exit of the UK from the European Union? All of these things add a complication.

My second point relates to the way we do our business. In the United Kingdom, the European Affairs Committee deals with these matters and makes recommendations in the blind of the attitude of Government, such that when the committee brings its proposals to parliament the attitude of Government is not known. If we are to have respect for the new politics, that is the way this business should be done here too. In other words, these matters should in the first instance be referred to the appropriate committee of the Houses for it to shape an opinion, following which the Government can partner in the decision-making.

In regard to the general reforms in An Garda Síochána, training is critical. I strongly endorse the views of my Fianna Fáil colleague, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, in relation to the recruitment area. I have raised this issue many times. The only way a person can join An Garda Síochána is as a new recruit. I was approached by a young man who was a commander in the Singapore police force and has great experience but he is unwilling to return here to join An Garda Síochána as a recruit. There are many people who have years of experience internationally who will not come back here to join An Garda Síochána as a recruit. Even if the age limit allowed for this, it is not the way to go. This issue needs to be examined.

I am interested in hearing the Minister of State's views on the status of the protocol post-Brexit, the mechanism for ratification in this jurisdiction and whether we should look to model ourselves in the British system in terms of giving more autonomy to the committees to do this business rather than bring it before the House and on the issue of recruitment.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The next speaker is Deputy Mick Barry. Is the Deputy sharing time with Deputy Bríd Smith?

Deputy Mick Barry

Yes.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Mick Barry

This motion will give effect to Irish participation in the European Police College, CEPOL. As well as uncontroversial courses such as language, training and so on, this year CEPOL is holding courses in the following areas: informant handling, undercover operations, radicalisation, social media policing, and the use of passenger name data, etc.. My colleague, Deputy Bríd Smith, will address issues relating to Fortress Europe.

I would like to know more about the aforementioned courses. For example, what is covered in the undercover operations course? Presumably, we will be told it deals with terrorism, etc. Many undercover operations in Europe are related not to terrorism, but to social campaigns. I wonder if PC Mark Kennedy of the British Metropolitan Police is being asked to speak at the CEPOL training courses this summer. Mr. Kennedy was involved in undercover operations in this State, including at Rossport with the Shell to Sea campaign, the May Day protest and the anti-war campaigns at Shannon Airport. In January 2011, President Michael D. Higgins said: "It is of grave concern. This type of activity undermines respect for the law and it is very sinister in that it can damage good causes." An MIT research scientist, Harry Halpin, who was spied on by PC Kennedy in a different country at a different time said: "What we are seeing globally is the rise of dangerous new authoritarian secret states, whose architecture of oppression is aimed at suppressing social change."

I would like to speak about Operation Mizen and the manner in which the Irish State used the police to monitor the Facebook and other social media pages of anti-water charge activists, as admitted by the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, in the House in October, but I want to allow my colleague, Deputy Bríd Smith, to deal with other issues.

Deputy Bríd Smith

When I read through this and all it implies, I realise that if I was running a right-wing State that wanted to batten down the hatches, control workers' rights and stop refugees from receiving the support and shelter they deserve, I would probably be in favour of CEPOL training my police force because it would be watching all of the left-wing and radical people who want to change society and send it in a different direction. In particular, my police force would be trained to support fortress Europe and Frontex, which is a European-wide police force with 1,500 police operatives whose only objective is to stop refugees getting across Europe.

We have spoken about this previously in the House. I was in Greece earlier this year and visited many of the refugee camps and the borders where these police forces operate. It is quite sickening to see a group of human beings holding back another desperate group of human beings. There are terrified, traumatised and hungry children who are desperate for safety and security with their families trying to get to the wealthiest part of the planet. The EU is the wealthiest part of the planet, yet we intend participating in Frontex, which does not deal with mass migration but is about resisting a refugee crisis and containing people in the most desperate parts of the world, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali and beyond. On the grounds that CEPOL would train our police force to contain refugees, I appeal to people in this House to have a bit of humanity and not participate in the sort of Robocop scenes I witnessed in Greece, which involved the police literally holding back desperate populations from receiving the sort of the sanctity and security they deserve under countless international agreements to which we have signed up through the UN and the Geneva Convention. They are all being broken by participation in this police force.

Deputy Clare Daly

We are talking about updating and expanding the remit of CEPOL, the European police training body. We are told that the measure will succeed in improving EU security through enhanced training and co-operation, particularly in the areas of serious crime and terrorism.

The idea of police authorities working across borders to combat serious crime is obviously welcome, but there is a certain irony in that. When we went through the annual pantomime of passing the Emergency Powers Act and the Offences Against the State Act earlier this year, I made the point that the Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Act, which has been on our Statute Book since 2004, allows the Garda Commissioner to engage in joint policing operations with other members of the EU to combat serious crime, but we have never invoked that measure. Instead, we have repeatedly introduced violations of human rights by signing up to the Offences Against the State Act and so on and have continued to criminalise the victims of drug abuse and poverty. Meanwhile, the people the measures was supposed to target - the big boys - are living it up on the Costa del Sol. Everybody would welcome any measures involving co-operation across borders in dealing with serious crime. However, the reality is that many measures are already there and have not been invoked.

Whatever about a certain legitimacy in the area of serious crime, where such measures really fall down is in areas such as supposedly helping in the fight against terrorism. Trying to fight terrorism through changed policing methods and co-ordination is like holding back the sea with a bucket. If we are really serious about tackling terrorism, we have got to get to the roots of why people end up engaging in terrorist activity. We should start by looking at Europe's seemingly endless supplying of arms to fuel wars around the world. We should stop supporting those wars, stop facilitating the use of Shannon Airport by the US military and so on. We would deal with ghettoisation, social exclusion and State-sanctioned racism. Look at the slaughter unleashed in Iraq over the past two months alone, with 69 people killed in Baghdad in May, 30 in June and 300 in July. The instability exported to all corners of the world through Western intervention is coming home to roost. We have created a monster in that sense. The idea that more police powers will deal with that is simply a failed strategy, and we know that because that is what experience has taught us. The more we try to use the police to fight terrorism, the more terrorists we create, because it is a failed strategy and we are not dealing with the root causes. In that sense, I do not think CEPOL is appropriate at all.

It is a bit ironic that the stated objective is emphasising the protection of human rights. This is talked about a lot in terms of An Garda Síochána, but it is a far cry from the reality of how An Garda Síochána has operated. With regard to the announcement in the past number of days of the barristers' panel commissioned by the Minister for Justice and Equality for the review mechanism for cases of historical malpractice and abuse by members of An Garda Síochána, which was just a whitewash, the damage done to hundreds of Irish citizens because of violations of human rights by members of An Garda Síochána has never been properly tackled. Increasing police powers and surveillance, which gives the State huge powers to invade people's privacy, as the Minister has stated she intends to do, is not the answer to this. We need to deal with proper Garda accountability. Many of the European police forces have had similar or worse problems, so when we sign up to joint co-operation with these bodies, we should be careful what we are signing up to.

That said, there are areas from which we can benefit. The incestuous or small-scale nature of An Garda Síochána has been a particular problem, so a breath of fresh air from outside the State would certainly assist in that regard. However, the way in which this motion has been presented is very one-sided and it will not do what it says on the tin.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on this particularly important motion. I strongly support the concept and have done so for many years. National and international crime is becoming very sophisticated and requires a co-ordinated effort on the part of police forces globally. This means that they need to be able to understand and speak to each other and have a common concept of what policing is. Our police need to be up to date on the procedures followed in these situations.

Reference has been made to the possibility of transfers between police forces. This is a very good idea that should be taken on board. There is provision under the Good Friday Agreement for transfers up to a certain point between Northern Ireland and here, and this should be extended. There is great scope for people who have experience in other police forces to transfer. I see no reason they cannot transfer right across Europe under this concept. It would benefit the country to which police officers transfer and the country they leave, because provision can be made for an exchange.

We need common intelligence. The intelligence methods used by police forces must be standardised. If we do not have a standardised system and similar procedures in every country in the EU and globally, we will not have the same advantage in fighting global crime. White-collar crime is becoming very sophisticated nationally and internationally and we must equip our police force with that in mind.

We also need to realise that the question of cybercrime is coming more and more into focus. It cannot be done from one country alone; policing methods in terms of detection need to be standardised. Our police need to be able to recognise and converse knowledgeably with their colleagues right across the globe, not only throughout Europe. This will have a beneficial effect in this country and on the reduction in crime generally.

To go back to the question of police transfers, Deputy Clare Daly made an interesting point that it is no harm to bring in somebody with outside thinking and to have them on board in our territory as well. That is a good idea. The day is gone when everybody put up barriers and remained in their own cosy cocoon. It is no longer acceptable. Particularly in fighting crime we cannot do that and cannot do it effectively. If we look at the extent to which major drug hauls have been identified over the last ten years off our shores, very often police from a long way away track by satellite. This is the kind of sophistication we need to be familiar with, adapt to and adopt for our benefit.

There is also the question of terrorism which is a fact of life nowadays. We have no control over the things that happen outside our jurisdiction but it is no harm to be alert to them and aware of the methods used. If there are issues that are in violation of human rights, of course we need to talk about them and curtail them specifically. The purpose of the exercise is to have a co-ordinated approach in the administration of justice and law and order and to create a stronger force to deal with the criminal elements that are becoming more and more sophisticated in their operations as time goes on. That can only be to the benefit of our society, our police force and global peace. Recent events in France and other countries have shown there is a necessity to be alert to what is happening considerably in advance of it happening. It gives us an insight and a warning. We need to do that. We have always benefited from co-operation with overseas police and that will remain the case.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (Deputy David Stanton)

I thank Deputies for their valuable contributions and comments on the work of CEPOL and the need to have continued representation by An Garda Síochána at CEPOL. CEPOL provides a cost-effective means of upskilling members of An Garda Síochána and customs officials in critical policing areas in times of restricted budgets. It provides a diversity of training courses in areas where An Garda Síochána may not have a national skill base. It also provides an international context for understanding and learning new crime trends in this increasingly transnational crime environment. As I mentioned before, there is no cost to the Exchequer here; CEPOL provides accommodation, flights and meals under the terms of the framework partnership grant system. This allows members of An Garda Síochána to attend training in other European countries without incurring costs. In 2015, CEPOL courses were attended by members of An Garda Síochána and customs officials on such varied issues as cybercrime, urban violence and trafficking in human beings. These courses are reflective of the diverse range of policing topics facilitated by CEPOL, which are not part of the normal training provided in police colleges.

Deputy O'Callaghan mentioned three very important areas of finance, crime against children and historic complaints. He also made some very interesting points about the professional development of An Garda Síochána, recruitment into An Garda Síochána from other jurisdictions, graduate recruitment and so on. An Garda Síochána is undergoing a programme of change and modernisation. The establishment of the policing authority will play a key role in future Garda recruitment. Changes will include greater levels of civilian recruitment and specialist staff. There is a modernisation programme under way there. There is also the need for continuous professional development as Deputy O'Callaghan identified.

Deputy Howlin spoke about the referendum in the UK. This is at a very early stage and it has not yet been determined what changes will be needed to the various protocols and agreements during the exit negotiations after Article 50 has been triggered. We are monitoring the situation very closely. Deputy Howlin was also correct when he said that in the normal course of business, motions of this type would be discussed at committee but the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality has not been established fully yet. It was important to move on with this motion and get it approved as I hope Deputies will do today before the recess, as this regulation came into effect on 1 July 2016. That was a reason for it.

Deputy Cullinane was concerned about human rights. CEPOL regulations confirm all the criteria he mentions. It is not a harmonising instrument and there is no transfer of sovereignty of any sort. Ireland participates as we wish. An Garda Síochána will be represented on the management board and officers will attend courses of interest. To date, more than 50 officials attend training courses each year. The regulation strengthens the governance of CEPOL in relation to the management of its resources and funding. CEPOL is now subject to tighter controls. I want to allay the Deputy's concerns in that regard.

On costs, it might be worth mentioning the Garda College approach to CEPOL. Each year, member states are invited to apply for a grant agreement to facilitate the hosting of various policing training courses. The Garda College is actively engaged in the commitment to European police training and hosted a number of training programmes each year. These have included training programmes on language development, human rights, community policing, confiscation of assets and counterfeit medicines. Staff contribution through the planning and organisation of courses means that the college does not contribute payment directly towards the costs of hosting the programmes. Two programmes will be hosted in the Garda College in 2016. The awarded grant agreements of approximately €65,000 per course provides the payments to local restaurants, transport companies as well as language experts fees to DCU and funding to the Garda College for accommodation and meals.

Deputy Barry, Deputy Daly and others mentioned and had concerns, which I acknowledge, about undercover policing and Frontex and so on. However, I want to make clear that CEPOL is simply a training academy. That is what it does; it is just a training academy. All its courses respect the principles set out in the European charter on human rights. Deputy Daly was also concerned about terrorism. It is vital that police forces across Europe learn from each other and learn the best methods of dealing with any emerging threat. I hope Deputies can support the motion.

Question put.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

In accordance with Standing Order 70(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time of 12.45 p.m. or later today, 21 July 2016.