Vol. 1047 No. 4
39. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice her views on the public order disturbance and riots of 23 November 2023 in Dublin city centre, especially with regard to what actions she has taken in the meantime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55418/23]
I ask the Minister for Justice her views on the public order disturbances and riots of 23 November in Dublin city centre with special regard to any action that has been taken since that date.
First of all, I reiterate the view shared by many that the rioting and violent disorder we saw in Dublin on 23 November was a disgrace. As the Deputy knows, those horrific scenes followed the tragic knife attack outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire that lunchtime. Again, I am sure Deputy Daly and others will join me in wishing the victims of that attack, especially the five-year-old girl and her carer, a speedy recovery. I also commend the Garda Commissioner and all the gardaí involved throughout that day on their strong and effective response in restoring order to the city. I place on record again my appreciation of all the emergency services, the various support services and the local authority for their work in dealing with all aspects of the attack and the subsequent disturbances.
I am committed to supporting An Garda Síochána in its mission of keeping people safe. The unprecedented allocation of €2.3 billion for 2024 to An Garda Síochána demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring the force has provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work. Of course, I want that funding to increase so we can provide even more resources. An additional €4.4 million was allocated for the purchase of 95 additional Garda cars and vans by the end of this year. This will include 17 public order Garda vans that will be deployed in our towns and cities across the country to provide further reassurance for people, businesses and communities, again in response to what happened two weeks ago. It also includes 38 new fully electric patrol cars and 40 unmarked surveillance cars. This is in addition to ten community policing vans that will be ready for deployment shortly.
In light of the riots, the Garda senior management team has agreed on a range of measures to further support front-line gardaí, including tooling all gardaí with stronger incapacitant spray, expanding the dog unit, increasing public order training, providing more Tasers for public order policing and providing handheld video cameras for public order units, among other measures. I am also committed to providing the Garda with any statutory powers it might require to deliver an effective response to public order disturbances.
I am pleased that the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act was signed into law by the President on 5 December. It provides for body-worn cameras, CCTV for the Garda, automatic number plate recognition and community CCTV. The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill, which will allow for facial recognition, was agreed and signed off by the Cabinet today.
There has been a number of engagements on this Bill. I will again mention the victims of the incident, including the parents, school community, bystanders, emergency services, council workers and gardaí, in particular the resting gardaí who came in at short notice.
We have been hearing for a long time that the main issue has been a lack of a Garda presence on the streets. That is not only true in Dublin city centre but also in many of the other cities across the country and in most large towns. We have heard a number of proposals from business groups, members of the public and senior gardaí. We hear from gardaí that Garda stations are at half capacity. Units are 50% the size they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. We hear that the retirement age should be increased to 62. We hear that a task force on retirement and recruitment should be established. We accept that in 2018, there were 77 resignations. There were 69 resignations in 2020 and there were 114 to the end of September this year. What is the position with those numbers? Overall numbers have dropped from 14,500 to less than 14,000.
I thank the Deputy. While I acknowledge that the number of resignations this year is slightly higher, our percentage of gardaí is higher than other police jurisdictions. In saying that, we need to ensure everything that can be done to identify why people are leaving is done. I met the Garda Commissioner, the head of HR and other members today. They are currently working on exit interviews. More than 100 have taken place and the Garda will soon be in a position to be able to present me with a full report. A number of things are coming out of that process and we need to be able to be responsive, particularly where concerns are being raised that have caused members to leave early. One of the most important things we can do to supplement the measures I have mentioned in terms of financial supports and resources is to have more gardaí on the ground. That is my number one priority when it comes to supporting the Garda. We hit a particular figure that none of us wanted to get to because the Garda College was closed to new recruits. However, I believe we are now moving at a steady pace and on an upward trajectory. A new Garda Reserve campaign will open in the new year. We have also had competitions for civilian staff to add to those numbers.
I am glad that the wording has been amended to "closed to new recruits" because for a long time, many spokespersons said the Garda College was closed, which, of course, it was not. When they talk to us, gardaí demand assistance with the Garda Reserve regulations. It has not been able to recruit since 2017. I heard what the Minister said about legislative amendments. We attended the Phoenix Park today to receive a briefing on bodycams and facial recognition technology. This legislation is not going to distract from the real issue, which is that gardaí need proper equipment and resources. They need radio transmission in their public order gear. Those resources include vehicles. I heard what the Minister said about vehicles but we need to ensure gardaí do not have to catch a bus into town to quell a riot. They need proper support, including support from other gardaí, so they do not feel under-resourced and underprotected. What is going to be done about all the sergeants and gardaí who are coming into town this month and denuding the other units around the city of vital members?
To the Deputy's last point, it has been made clear to me that anybody who is coming from a separate jurisdiction, whether in the outer part of Dublin, a rural community or a county outside Dublin, is doing so in his or her own free time. I know there is a concern that an increased presence in the city centre is taking away from other areas. If gardaí are coming from counties Mayo, Waterford or Donegal, they are doing so in their spare time. We need to make sure of the overall numbers and ensure that not everybody is going to Dublin. While a large number of those coming out of the Garda College will go to Dublin, it will allow for others to be freed up to transfer out of the city. There will, of course, also be numbers who are allocated to areas other than Dublin city centre. Some 150 new gardaí will come out of the college this week. I anticipate a significant number of them will go to Dublin but others will be spread right across the country. It is about getting the overall numbers up. We are doing everything we can, and I am doing everything I can, to provide funding where there is a requirement for additional resources or any other type of equipment that gardaí might need.
40. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if she will report on her engagement with social media companies about far-right content, the spreading of misinformation, and the activities of far-right actors on their platforms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55237/23]
My question relates to the Minister's engagements and, in particular, her recent meeting with representatives of the big social media platforms. We have already seen that social media plays a significant role for the far right and how it spreads its disinformation and rhetoric. Will the Minister give us a progress report on how she got on with those social media platforms?
I thank the Deputy. The events which took place in our capital city highlight the threats posed by violent political extremism. As he said, messages of hate spread online resulted in manifestations of physical violence on our city streets. It is clear that social media companies have an important responsibility to resource and operate robust systems of detection, including the timely removal of harmful content. I have said clearly that it has been relayed to me that some companies engaged better than others. Some companies took down content in a proactive way when compared with others. I am awaiting a wider or more detailed report from the Garda so I can engage further.
I assure the Deputy that countering the threat posed by extremism is a top priority for the Garda and for me and my Department. Our strategy to deal with extremism is part of a whole-of-government response to countering radicalisation to extremist ideologies, along with liaison with the Garda. I and my Department are fully engaged with our EU partners through the radicalisation awareness network to develop our understanding of the evolution of the threat posed by political extremism with a view to putting in place appropriate measures to counter the threat. My Department is also responsible for policy on illegal online content, including the implementation of the terrorist content online regulation, and policy on online extremism, including in respect of right-wing extremists. That is a particular part of the legislation that brought into existence Coimisiún na Meán, on which my Department is leading and for which it will be responsible.
The law is kept under review and the Deputy will be familiar with the provisions of the new Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill, which I am bringing through the Oireachtas. It is currently in the Seanad. It will criminalise the dissemination of exactly the kind of hate speech, offline and online, that often informs or encourages violent extremism.
As I have mentioned, my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media has introduced the Online Services and Media Regulation Act and established Coimisiún na Meán to regulate online media, including enforcing rules about how online services or platforms should deal with harmful and illegal content on their services. It is important that there is a role for Coimisiún na Meán and the Garda to engage appropriately where there is harmful content. It is particularly important for the Garda to become involved where there is illegal content.
I thank the Minister. These platforms make a vast amount of money. A vast number of people engage in social media, the large majority of whom are responsible and do not spread hate. However, in recent years, certain agitators have used rhetoric and tones it is incredible they get away with. Social media platforms have a responsibility, for those who are viewing this stuff and for society as a whole, to close these people down. I do not watch most of that stuff but I have done so in recent times. The free rein that some of these individuals get is incredible. They agitate and spread hatred and division. If they are spreading that vile rhetoric, surely social media platforms have a responsibility to close them down.
We probably all agree that social media platforms have played a positive role in our lives in general and in how we communicate with other and stay in touch with friends. However, they also pose significant challenges and threats. The negativity we are seeing on social media platforms has grown quickly. One of the biggest challenges is identifying what is harmful content and what is illegal content. The people the Deputy has referenced as instigators and agitators know where that line is and know not to cross it. They know where to stop so their behaviour does not move into the space of illegal content.
This is why Coimisiún na Meán is so important. Identifying exactly what is harmful content is really important, as is the way in which the companies then engage proactively with the coimisiún. There has been and was a level of engagement with Coimisiún na Meán in the days following the riots but it is at the early stages. What people need to see is that where take-down requests are made regarding information that is clearly harmful, it is taken down and, if not, the companies receive the fines that we have set out.
Some of these agitators are benefiting financially from the content they put up online. In fact, that is how they grow their status and following. They solicit people to fund their content, most of which is inflammatory and causes hate. This has been going on for a considerable time. I hope that during the Minister's engagement, particularly with the bigger companies, she relayed that this cannot go on. This is a threat to society. These people have a political ideology that is based on hatred and racism and they want to overthrow society. It is imperative that social media companies are held to account and that these people are also held to account. That is the most important thing here.
As I said, this is an extremely difficult space to try to manage and monitor, particularly where there is a grey area as regards what is harmful and what is not or what is a criminal offence and what is not, although the latter should be much clearer. What is really important is that we do not just come at this from an enforcement point of view but that the social media companies take a proactive role in making sure the standards that they set for their online communities are met and that they are being proactive in enforcing those. Again, this is where Coimisiún na Meán has an important role in making sure these companies are held to account. The time for self-regulation is coming to an end. As a country, we are showing leadership in this regard. The coimisiún is the first body of its kind to be established in the European Union and other jurisdictions are looking to Ireland to see how this is managed. Obviously, a number of these companies are located here so we are best placed to be able to engage directly with them but it is important to note that the companies themselves clearly have a role to play in making sure they fulfil, live up to and enforce their own safety standards for their users.
41. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the average number of gardaí on "ordinary absence" and "absent due to injury on duty" in each of the Garda regions in Ireland, and at Garda headquarters, in quarter 3 of 2023, and to provide comparative data for the same period in 2020. [55419/23]
I ask the Minister to provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the average number of gardaí on ordinary absence and those on absence due to injury on duty in each of the Garda districts for quarter 3 of 2023 in comparison with the same period in 2020.
I understand that tables may be provided to the Deputy. What I have here is the breakdown across the Garda regions of the average number of gardaí who were absent because of ordinary illness and those who were absent because they were injured on duty. For quarter 3 of 2019, the figure for ordinary illness was 1,743 and while it has varied in subsequent years, the figure for quarter 3 of 2023 is 1,962. Up until 31 October 2023, the figure was considerably lower, at 830. Obviously the figures vary but one has to look at the way in which they are broken down. The sickness absence management system splits the data into three categories, namely, ordinary illness, occupational illness or injury arising from duty, and critical illness. It is also important to note that while there will be people in any organisation who are out on sick leave, whether it is broken down in that particular way or not, there will always be a number of people, as is the case in An Garda Síochána, who are on career breaks or in work-sharing arrangements as well as on secondment, maternity leave, unpaid maternity leave or paternity leave.
Specifically with regard to people who were injured or out sick, I assure Deputy Daly that we are absolutely committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of all Garda members and staff. This is reflected in the commitment of an additional €6 million allocated for Garda well-being initiatives, additional medical costs and over 2,500 units of body armour in budget 2024. I am very aware of how stressful the work can be for Garda members. We only have to look at the recent incidents in Dublin city centre for evidence of this. A number of support systems are in place to help gardaí address issues of stress and mental health, including the employee assistance service, as well as trauma counselling and peer support. I know there is more we can do in that regard in particular and I am proactively engaging with the Garda Commissioner and his team to see how I can provide further support for members who are potentially out of work due to stress or related illnesses.
The numbers do not simply reflect the pay and conditions because, as the Minister said, there are increased stresses resulting from having to deal with things like serious road traffic accidents, people having taken their own lives and other types of stressful scenes. Gardaí also feel overstretched, burnt out and that no one has their back. It is interesting to hear the Minister mentioning peer support. Does she have a figure for the number of people who provide peer support to gardaí? What I am hearing suggests that it may not be adequate to deal with the number of gardaí who are feeling under pressure.
I do not have those exact details but I will certainly try to get them for the Deputy. I am very conscious of the distressing scenes that members have to deal with on a daily basis, from road traffic incidents to scenes of suicide, as well as dealing with situations such as those we saw two weeks ago. A number of different measures and supports have been put in place. In fact, from the first meeting I had with the Garda representative associations over three years ago, and every year that I meet with them prior to their annual conferences, this issue comes up. Every year when it comes to budget time, I engage with the Garda Commissioner to see what more can be provided. A new app has been rolled out that enables gardaí to engage confidentially to access counselling supports and other types of information and support if they do not want to engage directly with somebody. That is often a challenge and one that has been relayed to me at a very senior level. There is a feeling that some members do not want to be seen to be seeking help or counselling services. At the same time, I am conscious that there may need to be engagement of a more proactive nature, especially where somebody is dealing with particularly difficult scenes. Again, we want to make sure that we talk about it, communicate and provide the resources and funding that are needed on a continuous basis. We should not be afraid to talk about these types of issues, even if it is within an organisation that was not dealing with them in years gone by.
Much of this comes back to the number of gardaí being attested in Templemore. The Garda Commissioner said a number of weeks ago that the total for this year would be 714 but then last week a figure of between 700 and 800 was mentioned. Does the Minister have a figure for the number of attestations that have been brought forward for this month? Does she have a figure for the total for this year and the number she anticipates will be attesting and entering the Garda College next year? I ask her to revert to me on the issue of peer support and the exact number that will be made available to serving gardaí throughout the State.
I do not have an exact figure for what we will have by the end of the year because the acceptances are still coming in and the offers are still going out for the class that will start on 27 December. I know we will have between 700 and 800 but I do not have the finalised figure yet. We know that between 700 and 800 will have gone into the college this year. What we have always said is that we will have five classes and the 27 December class will obviously be the fifth one. Of course, we want as many trainees as possible to go in to the college this year and next year as well. That is why we will have a new recruitment campaign starting early in the new year. We will get that off the ground and moving on Friday, when I am in Templemore to meet the 150-odd recruits who will come out earlier than planned, about a month ahead of schedule. I commit to coming back to the Deputy information on the peer support numbers overall.
42. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if she acknowledges the current retention crisis facing An Garda Síochána; what measures her Department is taking to address same; what recommendations her Department has made to An Garda Síochána to increase recruitment to the Garda force; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55420/23]
I ask the Minister to acknowledge the current retention crisis facing An Garda Síochána and to outline the measures her Department is taking to address same. What recommendations has the Department made to An Garda Síochána to increase recruitment to the force? What I am really asking is that the Minister acknowledge the current retention crisis facing An Garda Síochána.
The numbers we have are certainly not where I would like them to be.
Due to the fact that the college was closed to new recruits, it meant no new recruits were going through the college for a period of almost two years. This means we are approximately 1,000 short of where we should be and certainly where I would like to be. That is a challenge. It poses a challenge to the overall running and management of An Garda Síochána. In saying that, our figures are higher than they were a number of years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but we have more specialist teams and more teams working in specialist areas, which means the gardaí on the beat and that visible presence are where people are maybe feeling the stretch. That is something that we, and the Commissioner, are constantly trying to respond to.
On trying to get numbers into the Garda college, we have committed an unprecedented allocation of €2.3 billion in the budget. Money has never been an issue as regards getting members into the college. The required funding has been allocated. We have had two recruitment campaigns since the reopening of the college to new recruits. The first resulted in 12,000 people who applied, 5,000 applied following the most recent campaign, and we will have a new campaign early in the new year. We have increased the accommodation allowance for the new trainees by two thirds. I would like to go further and keep moving but it was increased by two thirds for this year, which reflects the fact that members are in the college and some of them have mortgages to pay and families. The rate they had been on was not sufficient.
We have also increased the age at which members can join An Garda Síochána. The new recruitment campaign in the new year will include the increase in the age limit from 35 years to 50 years. On the other side of things, and in response to a previous question, the retirement age is currently 60, but I anticipate that will be increased in the very near future, reflecting the fact that we are losing a number of skilled people. People are healthier, fitter and are living much healthier lives for longer.
Overall, we cannot just look at people going in. We need to make sure that we also support people who are there. That is why exit interviews are taking place at present. It is to make sure that where people are raising concerns, be they of a structural or support nature, or any other type, we will be able to respond as effectively as possible.
We all know there is a huge recruitment crisis. There have been many promises and budgetary commitments but, as the Minister said, budget is clearly not the issue. We have to look at what the issue is and why we cannot meet targets, or recruit to cover the capacity of those who are leaving, out sick or on suspension. We are in a bad way. We are in crisis and that crisis needs to come to a head. The recent recruitment campaigns have been well oversubscribed. The demand among the public might actually be there but there is some reason we are not getting people into the system.
Maybe we need to open a second Templemore training college somewhere else in the country. We certainly need to look at accommodation. When I talk to new recruits, their biggest issue is that they are coming out of the college trained but have not been stationed anywhere. A week out from having to become a member of An Garda Síochána on the streets, they do not know where they are going to live or whether they will get accommodation.
This is a challenge for new recruits when they come out. They only find out where they are going relatively close to when they finish. It is for that very reason the Commissioner needs to be agile and needs to be able to respond to issues in certain areas as they emerge. Where resources are required, that is where people are directed to. As I said, even the most recent class in Templemore is coming out a month early. That is not something they might have planned for or anticipated but they are responding to a need that is very much there in our city centre, but which is also a requirement outside Dublin city centre.
On trying to meet the overall targets, it has been made clear to me that accommodation is not necessarily the problem. We have taken a number of measures to shorten the PAS process. As a significant number of people are applying, it takes a period of time for the PAS process to work and for names to be given to the Garda. There is then a medical, a fitness test, if somebody has lived abroad, he or she has to get vetting from that other country for which a timeline cannot be dictated, and then we have to make sure that people still want to join. What is surprising to me is the number of deferrals. There are people who apply but are still in college, university or studying and who want to finish their course of study, or for whatever reason. For every three months of the intake, there are people who defer. PAS is trying to manage all of this.
Overall, what is very positive is that the most recent campaign attracted 5,000 people, even when we are at full employment. It shows that this an organisation that people want to be part of. I will do everything I can to speed up that process and when gardaí are in there, to support them insofar as possible.
There is also a huge issue with retention and the major loss when members of An Garda Síochána decide they need to leave the force. I sincerely hope that we are doing exit interviews and that we take the information as feedback and do something with it. All of their knowledge, training and expertise goes with them and it takes years to gain that experience as a new recruit.
I will address an issue that is pertinent to our difficulties with recruitment. I received hundreds of items of correspondence from retired members of An Garda Síochána inquiring about pension parity and whether that will be maintained in the up and coming pay talks. Pension parity means that as the salaries of serving members increase, the pensions of retired gardaí also increase in line with that. That is primary to how we treat gardaí. If they are in a position where their pension will be reduced or not kept on par to deal with cost-of-living increases, it will be a deterrent to new recruits. I hope the Minister is in a position to give a commitment that there will be pension parity.
To assure the Deputy on the retention issue, exit interviews are being done. I will have a full report, as I said, in the new year.
When it comes to the pay talks, I am obviously not around the table. I can certainly advocate to make sure the Garda representative organisations are around the table. That was done at the last round of talks, and again in this round, to make sure they are there and around the table in a way that they have not been in previous years. Anything that is decided, or a decision that is taken, will take place as part of the overall talks, which are ongoing at present. I have full confidence in the associations to make their representations and the views of their members on this issue clear, but also in the Minister for Finance and his team to be able to respond and get the best outcome insofar as possible, not just for the Garda associations but all the other unions that are representing their members in the talks.
43. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice how the priorities and performance targets (including consultation with the Garda Commissioner) pursuant to section 20 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 are reviewed and revised, particularly concerning cold case investigations of unsolved murders related to the Troubles; how co-operation with UK law enforcement agencies is overseen in this context; how frequently the Garda Commissioner exercises the power to enter into agreements with such agencies under section 28 of the Act to advance these investigations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53406/23]
This question relates to how the Garda pursues unsolved Troubles-related crimes, such as murders, in the South and what co-operation it has with the PSNI or the British state regarding the sharing of information that might be relevant to those crimes.
I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. It raises a very important issue with regard to the work undertaken by the authorities here in the investigation of Troubles-related murders in this jurisdiction, as well as co-operation with UK Troubles legacy processes that have a cross-Border dimension.
I assure the Deputy that in circumstances where such offences have not been resolved, the investigations remain open and An Garda Síochána will, and do, follow up fully on any new evidence or information that becomes available to it, whether that comes from the public, from other police services or from its own investigations. Responsibility for the investigation of unresolved criminal offences is, and will remain, the responsibility of the Garda authorities. It is a matter of profound sadness, particularly for their loved ones, that there are Troubles-related deaths that remain unsolved to this day and where nobody has yet been brought to justice.
The Deputy will appreciate that there are complex historical cases, relating to a particular period some time ago, and in respect of which the passage of time brings particular complications. The Deputy referred to section 28 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, which provides a legal basis for An Garda Síochána to enter into agreements on co-operation and information exchange with law enforcement agencies outside the State. In the context of Troubles-related cases, I can inform the Deputy that it has not been necessary to enter into a formal agreement, as provided for in section 28, as information has been exchanged on a police-to-police basis and evidence sought by means of a request for mutual legal assistance when required.
There have, however, been multiple strands of Garda co-operation with a variety of non-policing UK legacy bodies, such as Operation Kenova, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and inquests, which have necessitated particular legal arrangements being put in place. As part of the Irish Government’s ongoing commitment to progressing issues related to the past, the Government has worked tirelessly to facilitate these requests for co-operation and sharing of information. This commitment has included the introduction of primary legislation - the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 2019 - and bespoke co-operation mechanisms to facilitate co-operation with the various non-policing legacy mechanisms.
The Minister of State referenced cases that remain open. What active investigations are taking place in that regard? Will the Minister of State outline what steps have been taken to keep victims and family members informed about what is happening with those cases? That is vitally important.
The Minister of State also said that no formal processes or formal requests have been made for information but he is satisfied that the information does come across as required. The Minister of State outlined that formal processes are put in place for dealing with inquests. Am I correct in that? Perhaps the Minister of State will expand a little more on that but also deal mainly with the information in relation to victims and their families.
As I understand it, An Garda Síochána is always very conscious of victims of crime and works very carefully to keep families updated in relation to any investigations. There is strong ongoing co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI. The cross-Border joint agency task force was established under a 2015 fresh start agreement to bring a concerted and enhanced effort to tackle cross-jurisdictional crime. The task force is led by senior officers from An Garda Síochána, Revenue, the PSNI, and HM Revenue and Customs. The Criminal Assets Bureau and the National Crime Agency are also involved, as needed, in operational activity. Officers from An Garda Síochána and the PSNI have highlighted the practical value in the continuing excellent level of co-operation and operational activity between the agencies in tackling various types of crime, be it a drug war, financial or the trafficking of human adults or children. There is excellent co-operation between the two police services.
With all due respect to the Minister of State, I do not believe that last part was relevant at all to the question I asked. My question was on Troubles-related incidents but the Minister of State has outlined ongoing investigations taking place now, as far as I can make out. It is important to acknowledge that Troubles-related incidents and murders have taken place that should continue to be investigated. The question is whether they are or not and whether the families are actually informed in relation to it.
A co-operation agreement is outlined in Schedule 3 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Has this been implemented and especially in the context of investigations of Troubles-related crimes? How are these provisions put into practice on cross-Border investigations?
I do not have an answer to hand on Schedule 3 but I will get the answer relayed to the Deputy. With regard to unresolved cases I assure the Deputy that on Troubles-related matters, there is significant co-operation between Ireland and United Kingdom. In certain circumstances where cases have not been resolved the investigations remain open and An Garda Síochána follow up fully on any new evidence or information that becomes available to them. The responsibility for these investigations of unresolved criminal offences is a responsibility of An Garda Síochána in relation to these Troubles-related deaths.
The Deputy also referred to section 28 of An Garda Síochána Act 2005, which provides a legal basis for co-operation. As I have already informed the Deputy, it has not been necessary to enter into a formal agreement because we are satisfied there is sufficient exchange on a police-to-police basis between the two police forces.
