Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the plans of An Garda Síochána and the resources available to it to tackle the criminal gangs involved in diesel laundering, cigarette smuggling and petrol stretching across the island. [7371/15]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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This question is about the plans of An Garda Síochána and the resources available to it to tackle the criminal gangs involved in diesel laundering, cigarette smuggling and petrol stretching throughout the island.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The point made by the Deputy about criminal gangs involved in diesel laundering, cigarette smuggling and petrol stretching throughout the island but concentrated to a degree along the Border is an extremely serious one. The issue is receiving the attention of the PSNI and An Garda Síochána which work in close co-operation through the joint policing strategy and the North-South crime conferences which are held regularly. I am very pleased to say co-operation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána has never been better. Recently I met Theresa Villiers, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to discuss this and other issues and we both welcomed the fact that co-operation was so effective. This co-operation is necessary to deal with the type of crimes about which the Deputy is asking.

Just this month, as a result of a joint intelligence-led investigation, officers from Revenue's Customs service, supported by An Garda Síochána, and officers from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs, supported by the PSNI, carried out searches in a number of premises along the Border in both jurisdictions. As a result, seizures of cigarettes with a value of €167,000 were made in this jurisdiction, together with the seizure of a tobacco processing plant, 2 million cigarettes and 12 tonnes of tobacco in Northern Ireland. One can see the scale of the issue involved. A significant oil laundering plant was uncovered in County Monaghan. It had the capacity to launder an estimated 20 million litres of fuel per annum. These are just some examples of what is being done by the enforcement agencies.

Tackling organised crime, in all its guises, is a priority for An Garda Síochána. This is reflected in the policing commitments for the year ahead.

An Garda Síochána has a strong and productive relationship with the PSNI and takes actions to counter security and crime threats which face the island, including the activities of the organised criminal groups to which paramilitary groups are inextricably linked. This is a very challenging criminal justice area which is getting focused attention, North and South, to deal with the issues. A cross-Border policing strategy is in place to improve public safety and to disrupt this kind of criminal activity.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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In April 2013, I made a speech in this House in which I referenced the presentation of Retail Excellence Ireland to the justice committee. It had brought to our attention that 12% of all diesel sold in Ireland was illegal. Nineteen oil laundries were detected and closed and 690,000 litres of oil were seized. It also made the point that almost 25% of the cigarette market is sourced from the black market and 109 million illegal cigarettes with a value of €45.9 million were seized. It estimates the Exchequer loses €861 million annually. This is a real threat. I wish to send two messages today. The first is to business people who work with the criminal gangs and to people who purchase cigarettes on the black market. We need the taxes on cigarettes for health services. When people smoke, as is their right, they will be unhealthy and will have to go to hospital. Those taxes, therefore, need to be paid to cover all of this.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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This is a very serious crime. Organised crime gangs are involved in it and they have tried to spread their activities throughout the island. It is clear that a combined approach by the Revenue Commissioners, the Garda Síochána and the PSNI is being used to deal with this issue. These crimes are being interrupted and the figures show this. We will take every action we need to with respect to dealing with this and prioritising it. There is a cross-Border taskforce on tobacco and cigarette smuggling and also on fuel laundering.

In 2014, there were 1,109 detections of marked fuel oil and two oil laundries were detected and shut down resulting in 50,000 litres of oil being seized. There were 5,852 seizures of cigarettes made by the Revenue Commissioners resulting in the seizure of 53 million cigarettes with a value of €25 million. This is an indication of the scale of the issue. There have been recent surveys on this. The Deputy quoted a figure of 25% for the number of cigarettes on the market which were brought into the country illegally or were smuggled. I understand that this figure is lower now. I will give the Deputy up-to-date figures.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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The second message I wish to send, as a Sinn Féin spokesperson on justice, is that the people involved in these activities, despite comments from some journalists, just one or two, are not the IRA that supported the peace process and that have gone away. They are not republicans. They are criminal gangs. I am saying very clearly today, as a Sinn Féin spokesperson for justice, that those involved in these activities which I have asked about are criminal gangs. Anyone with information should assist the PSNI and an Garda Síochána in tackling them. The consequences are very severe for this State and the North. They are anti-peace process and are clearly criminal. I wish to put it on the record and send out a clear signal from everyone in this House that those involved in these activities are a threat to all of us.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I agree fully with the Deputy. This is absolutely serious criminal activity which has very serious implications for people's lives in this country. Everything possible will be done to interrupt this activity. There are links to paramilitary groups. I take the Deputy's points. These are criminal gangs and are being dealt with clearly as such by the PSNI and an Garda Síochána. No effort is being spared in terms of addressing this issue. On Monday, the British-Irish Parliamentary Body will be presenting a detailed report on these issues in the Seanad when it has its meeting. I have already met with it to give them my views and the views of An Garda Síochána, as have the relevant authorities in the North of Ireland. We are focusing on this issue again through this group. Senator Coghlan and others have been involved in this work and they will be reporting on it on Monday.