Dáil debates

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

3:00 pm

Photo of Bertie AhernBertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

In regard to addressing the Assembly, Deputy Rabbitte asked if we would have a meeting. We will have a meeting around the North-South Ministerial Council meeting but we have no formal arrangements yet. I am very anxious to get the institutions up and running fully first before we do anything else. It is important that the provisions of the Agreements, the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement, are fully operational. Then we can consider other matters, but for the remainder of this year the focus will be very much on getting all the institutions to not only hold their formal meetings but arrange the agendas.

I should have said earlier that in our preparatory work for the first meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council we have a work programme through to the remainder of the year across Departments, agencies and areas of ministerial responsibilities.

On the issue of organised crime, Deputy Kenny will be aware that as we have seen the end of organised paramilitary activity in some areas, we have seen an increase in other criminal activity, as we have in every normalised society in the world. This has created its own problems and difficulties.

There is ongoing co-operation between the agencies here and close co-operation between the Garda and the PSNI, and that will continue where necessary. It is a daily issue. I do not believe there is any need to do anything new in that respect. It is a matter of tackling those individuals who are involved in criminal activity. Much of this problem, as in most other parts of Europe, relates to drug activities.

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