Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

As I said in my reply, both Governments signed a memorandum of understanding in 2006. In fact, I was the Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time. Together with the British Northern Secretary, Peter Hain, I signed that document to bring together the know-how and contacts between both jurisdictions. It is the desire of the Government, the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to have greater harmonisation of the law on both sides of the Border. It is therefore all the better that next month will see the devolution of policing and justice so that we can do it on a bilateral basis with the Northern Executive and the relevant minister. We operate in two different jurisdictions, however, and the legislation in both areas is somewhat different. Nonetheless, we must harmonise as much as possible not only the administrative arrangements but also the legislative ones. Work will continue in that respect and hopefully it will accelerate when devolution takes place.

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