Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill and commend the Minister on introducing the matter by way of primary legislation. There are three elements to the legislation. First, it will extend the competence of Europol to money-laundering activities regardless of the types of offences from which money-laundering proceeds originate. Second, it will clarify certain powers concerning the participation in joint investigation teams by members of Europol, and the privileges and immunity applying to members of Europol. Third, it will streamline the internal workings of Europol, particularly with regard to liaison procedures and the analysis and processing of data.

I wish to make a few general observations about the operation of Europol. Everyone in the House will agree with the need for increased co-operation between European police forces, which must be fully supported. Other Members have mentioned the need to increase such co-operation not only between European police forces, but also internationally, including the USA and other countries. This is relevant in Ireland because many crimes here have an international dimension with roots in the drugs trade. This is because the drugs trade is highly profitable and people are willing to be nasty in pursuit of that money. The drugs come to Ireland from a variety of sources including Colombia, Mexico and Afghanistan, through Turkey into Spain, Holland other European countries. Unfortunately, guns are now part of this trade which has become more vicious recently.

This is not an academic debate and people at a local level will wonder how it relates to them. Gangland feuds in our cities have roots in the drugs trade and most of the disputes that lead to murders stem from disagreements over territorial rights for the sale of drugs in an area. Mountrath, in my constituency, is halfway between Limerick and Dublin. Serious criminal gangs operate in those cities and recently Mountrath has emerged as a convenient drop off point for criminals using either the train network or the national primary road network. The situation is being monitored by the local gardaí. Right down to small, rural towns the source of the product that leads to these crimes is international. People must be aware that the issue stretches beyond the big cities to every town and village in Ireland and they should have no qualms about supporting Europol in its efforts to deal with the drugs trade. There have been spectacular successes in the past and I hope they continue.

The issue of money laundering constitutes an important part of this Bill because criminals tend not to leave their money sitting in bank accounts. Banks watch such activities closely, there is significant money laundering legislation in Ireland and they cannot leave it under the floorboards for long so criminals are compelled to convert cash into property or other business assets. This legislation is important in tackling such issues because we have all seen the success of the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, in selling properties belonging to convicted criminals in Ireland. It demonstrates how successful such people have been in establishing businesses and acquiring properties. The legislation in Ireland and at a European level must allow the police to link such properties to their source and take the necessary action.

The issue of Europol and police forces sharing information relating to mobile phone conversations may cause some concern. It was widely publicised in the media that a perpetrator of the London bombings was traced across Europe by using the signal from his mobile phone and the police were waiting for him on his arrival by train in Rome. This is not confidential security information as I read this in the media. It is important that such measures be strengthened and improved because people may buy disposable mobile phones, they may not register as the owner of the phone and phones can change hands and be stolen. Facilities must exist giving the police access to mobile phone conversations. This is something most law-abiding citizens find unsavoury but, if we are to tackle serious crime, compromise on such issues is necessary. Legislation must reflect the emergence of new technologies that did not exist a generation previously. That Irish people involved in the drugs trade have been found dead in places like Spain and Holland only highlights the need for this legislation.

People are not engaging in money laundering for the good of the drugs trade or to get high on drugs, they do it for the money involved. I have been encouraged in the past year to see many statutory instruments put before the House by the Minister for Finance regarding seizing or freezing certain bank accounts on foot of requests from the United Nations. This was carried out by countries throughout the world in order to seize accounts suspected of being held by international terrorists. Thousands of accounts have been frozen by the Central Bank in Ireland and while this may have caused some difficulties, it is necessary.

Recent reports have suggested that seemingly innocuous charitable organisations are fronts for sinister people and terrorist groups using Ireland to hide money for the purchase of arms and to finance terrorism. This must come to an end.

I fully support this legislation and I believe most crime has an international impact. Most businesses operate on an international basis so it is inevitable, as the decades pass, that more legislation of this kind will be passed in this House and parliaments across Europe. Such legislation will bring about greater co-operation and consistency, not only in policing but in sentencing, court procedures and the criminal justice system throughout Europe. Ultimately we will be compelled to go further afield than the EU because many of the crimes mentioned have their origins outside Europe.

I look forward to further legislation whereby signatories to the Europol Agreement can expect greater international police co-operation around the world. I commend the legislation to the House and look forward to its speedy passage. I hope it leads to the conviction of criminals in Ireland and internationally.

See this speech in context