Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 7: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his response to the view of the Garda Commissioner and the Chief Constable of the PSNI, that the threat of dissident republican activity was severe; the steps he is taking to tackle this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38011/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I know that all Members of the House will join me in condemning all subversive groups and their activities. These groups may be called, as the Deputy refers to them, "dissident republicans", but such a label lends them an historical respectability they do not deserve. We should be clear that these people are no more than criminal terrorists using violence in pursuit of their own, sometimes personal, ends and using violence, frequently, for their own personal benefit. They have no support in the wider community, North and South, for either their criminal aims or for their violent methods.

Since early 2009 the threat level in Northern Ireland has been classified as severe. In particular, these groups have targeted PSNI officers and staff, most recently with the brutal murder of PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr in April of this year whose funeral I attended. The threat faced on this island from these subversives is a shared threat and I can assure the House that the Garda continues to co-operate seamlessly with the PSNI in actively pursuing and targeting these groups.

Operational policing co-operation is the responsibility of the Commissioner and the Chief Constable and their respective forces. Both police chiefs have emphasised the close nature and the high quality of the ongoing co-operation between their forces and it has been instrumental in preventing attacks, combating criminality and saving lives. The two police forces operate a cross-Border policing strategy, which covers areas including cross-Border investigations and operations, intelligence-sharing and security, ICT and emergency planning.

Combating the subversive threat has always been an absolute priority for the Garda authorities and it will remain so, even in the current climate of financial constraint. I can assure the Deputy and the House that the Government is committed to maintaining that high level of co-operation between the Garda and the PSNI. There is also close co-operation and regular contact between my Department, the Northern Ireland Department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Office. By working together on matters of mutual concern and interest we can improve community safety for all the people on this island.

I can advise the Deputy I met with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, David Ford, twice last week and on both occasions we reviewed the various aspects of cross-Border co-operation between our Departments and related agencies, including the ongoing measures being taken to counteract subversive crime.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I agree with the phrases he used. The matter came up in the context of reports from the meeting of the Chief Constable and the Commissioner last Friday. Are other agencies and Ministers involved in working with the Minister, such as the Revenue Commissioners or customs? Do they have the similar strength of relationship the two police forces clearly have with their equivalents in the Six Counties? Do they have joint measures? Fuel smuggling and, I suspect, social welfare fraud could be issues. Is there a cross-governmental approach? Is the strength of the relationship between the police forces on the island equal, if not stronger, to that of other agencies?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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There is very substantial co-operation and there have been joint operations involving the PSNI and Garda and Her Majesty's Revenue Services and the Revenue Commissioners. Those operations have been particularly successful in the context of dealing, not simply with subversion but with criminal gangs who have been engaged in fuel smuggling, drug trafficking and in bringing large amounts of tobacco products and cigarettes across the border into the Republic to evade revenue obligations that would otherwise arise.

It would be fair to say that the Minister, David Ford, MLA, and myself agree that the level of co-operation is as good as it could be. There is substantial interaction between agencies across the Border on both sides to ensure the maximum co-operation in tackling not just subversives but organised crime. I would maintain regular contact with Minister Ford, as he does with me, on occasion by telephone without formal meetings, where issues arise.

There is a close relationship between the Chief Constable Matt Baggott and the Garda Commissioner, and that will continue to be the case. I had the pleasure, with Minister Ford, of opening a joint police conference which was held a few days ago between the PSNI and the Garda Síochána in which they looked overall at policy and where we now stand, and future policy development in the tackling of organised crime and subversive crime on all parts of the island.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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In terms of future policy development, would the Minister consider a cross-Border version of the CAB? He is putting a lot of work into establishing it on a European wide basis. It strikes me that some of the individuals involved in crime need such attention. Perhaps under the auspices of the Good Friday Agreement we would be able to come up with some sort of body that would have CAB-style powers to go after these people in the only way that we can hit them.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may know there is already that type of co-operation between this State and the United Kingdom that has operated reasonably well and, in so far as we can put in place new measures in co-operation with Northern Ireland now that the area of justice has been devolved, we are continuing to explore those.

I should say to the Deputy that in dealing with this area I also met last week with Hugo Swire, MLA, the Minister of State in the Northern Ireland Office, who deals with matters in this area, and I have also maintained contact with the Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, MP. There is an ongoing flow of information and interaction between officials on both sides of the Border. A number of working groups have been established in the criminal justice area and joint working groups North and South are developing policies across a broad range of areas.