Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2024
29. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Justice the discussions she has had with the Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland since the reappointment of the Executive there; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17767/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe restoration of the Assembly and the Executive is a positive opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland. I very much welcome that there is now a functioning Executive who can represent the interests of the people and deal with all the issues and challenges that Northern Ireland faces at present. As the Deputy is aware, this also facilitates the full operation of the Good Friday Agreement Institutions, delivering positively to the collective benefit of all of our people.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that there continues to be excellent ongoing cross-Border engagement and co-operation with counterparts in Northern Ireland on relevant justice matters. This includes close co-operation between my officials and officials in the Northern Ireland Department of Justice on a range of issues, as well as between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other agencies with their counterparts.
I have had extensive and positive contact with my colleague, Minister for Justice Naomi Long since the Executive was re-established. Minister Long and I share many areas of mutual interest and cooperation and I spoke with her soon after her re-appointment in February. Earlier this month we both attended the North South Ministerial Council in Armagh and this included a separate bilateral meeting to cover criminal justice issues which, as the Deputy will be aware, are not encompassed in the remit of the NSMC.
More recently, we jointly chaired a meeting of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on Cooperation on Criminal Justice Matters. The IGA covers a number of criminal justice strands of cooperation such as protection of victims, forensic science and youth justice. We face the same challenges in both parts of the island in combating crime, including transnational crime; managing offenders; and supporting victims; and the IGA provides a valuable structure for ongoing North South engagement in tackling these issues together. Minister Long and I reviewed progress on the range of ongoing cross-border initiatives and agreed a new series of measures to take forward work in these areas.
At the meeting, officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and An Garda Síochána also provided an update on the work of the cross border Joint Agency Task Force (JATF) which was established to tackle organised and cross jurisdictional crime. Priority areas include Rural Crime, Drugs, Trafficking in Human Beings including Children, Immigration Crime, Financial Crime and Excise Fraud.
It was clear to both of us that the Task Force continues to facilitate excellent cross border cooperation, both on a practical day-to-day basis and at a strategic level. The results are evident in the multiple successes achieved in disrupting and preventing organised criminality and making all our communities safer.
