Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that there is a particular challenge in Border areas having regard to the ongoing work in progress that is the peace process. I hope that over the next few weeks we will see the successful re-establishment of the power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland, particularly the Executive and a working assembly. It is almost a year since the people in Northern Ireland voted and they deserve to have a working Executive and assembly. In the event that the current round of talks is successful, one of the first consequences will be the re-emergence of regular meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council. I mentioned earlier the close working relationship between the Garda Síochána and the PSNI. I acknowledge the work of Deputy Brendan Smith on Border matters, both North and South, over many years. I agree there is much work to be done in that area. Much of the cross-Border security work is ongoing but in the event of there being an early meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council there will be work to be done by Oireachtas committees and at executive level to ensure the best approach for what will be a concerted effort to stamp out criminality in the Border area.

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