Joint Committee on Justice to discuss Brexit Omnibus Bill with Minister McEntee

The Minister will brief the Committee, chaired by Deputy James Lawless, on the General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020 and the Heads of the Bill covering Justice legislation.

The areas affected include amendments to extradition and immigration legislation, and matters of civil law covering recognition of certain divorces, legal separations and marriage annulments obtained in the UK.

Deputy Lawless said: “This is the Committee’s first public engagement of this Dáil and Seanad and we welcome this opportunity to hear from Minister McEntee on the Justice sections of the Government’s Brexit Omnibus Bill. Brexit is an enormous challenge for Ireland and raises many complex issues for our citizens and businesses from 1 January 2021, once the UK’s transition out of the EU has ended.

“In the Justice area, this Omnibus Bill, to be enacted only if there is no agreement in the coming weeks on a future partnership between the EU and UK , includes an amendment to the Extradition Act 1965 to allow extradition arrangements between Ireland and the UK to continue once the UK leaves the European Arrest Warrant scheme. The Bill also covers immigration matters such as giving a clear legal basis for excluding British citizens from passport checks within the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

“In dealing with a potential no-deal Brexit, Ireland must maintain a good relationship with the UK for the sake of continued peace and prosperity on our island, while also ensuring that criminality doesn’t benefit from the absence of robust legal arrangements between the two countries. The Committee looks forward to discussing this significant and important legislation with the Minister.”

The Joint Committee on Justice has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 2 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.