Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I greatly appreciate the opportunity to raise this issue today and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, for coming to the House.

This week the House of Commons intelligence and security committee released a report on the risk of terrorism in Northern Ireland. The report found that a hard border would be highly likely to lead to an increase in terrorist attacks and any border structure would be a target for such attacks. That is no surprise to the Minister of State, me or anyone who has been following discussions on Brexit over the past few years.

Today, we saw further evidence before the House of Commons Northern Irish affairs committee where academics have once again stressed the point made previously by the former US Senator George Mitchell, former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern and many others.

The report rates a threat of violence from dissident republicans as severe with the New IRA the most widespread dissident republican group. This is a worrying fact on many fronts. It is worrying for people who will be affected by these attacks, the families who will be torn apart by such violence and for those people on both sides of the Border who have lived in relative peace for over 20 years.

This past summer we saw excellent work by An Garda Síochána which contributed to the arrest by the PSNI of nine members of the New IRA. These arrests led to sentencing of the effective army council of the New IRA. While this is welcome, it is quite clear the threat has not gone away. As per the report laid before the committee in Westminster earlier this week, we see an increasing amount of co-operation between the leadership and membership of the New IRA and the Continuity IRA. While many people once referred to these dissident republican terrorists as disparate criminal gangs working sometimes against each other, this new level of co-ordination should not be taken for granted. Any hard border could be used as a recruitment tactic for these groups, preying on disenfranchised youths on both sides of the Border and fanning the flames of anger and violence which have been diminishing since the Good Friday Agreement.

Dissident threats lie on both sides of the political divide. In this report, there is a worrying reference to loyalist paramilitary activity increasing, particularly around certain parts of Belfast. It does not really matter where it happens on this island. It is a concern for the Government and the agents of the State regardless.

We have been lucky to have such widespread support from our European colleagues to ensure there is no hardening of the Border on this island. However, we cannot pretend that threat has not gone away. With the UK's Internal Market Bill, we see the risk to the withdrawal agreement and the protocol that were designed to protect the Good Friday Agreement and to ensure the Border remains seamless. We have to be extremely aware that any further efforts to diminish that withdrawal agreement and undermine those protocols could provide opportunities to which we need to be alert.

What supports are being given? What response has the Government to these two reports laid before the relevant committees in Westminster this week?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy McEntee, I thank Deputy Richmond for raising this important matter.

Tackling the threat posed by dissident paramilitary groups which seek to undermine peace on our island continues to be a priority for the Minister for Justice and Equality and for the Government. There are, of course, ongoing reviews of the threat assessment arising from the activities of these groups. The Minister is kept informed of the threat assessment in this regard by the Garda Commissioner.

The security assessment of the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland is classed as severe. The dissident paramilitary groups continue to focus their efforts primarily on targeting members of the security forces in Northern Ireland. I note that earlier this week, the UK's intelligence and security committee published a report on terrorism in Northern Ireland which underlined the ongoing challenge from dissident republicans. While the threat of attack from these groups here is generally considered to be low, they still present a real and persistent threat, carrying out fundraising and planning preparatory activities to support attacks in Northern Ireland.

The authorities here are taking and will continue to take all necessary and appropriate measures to counteract the threat from dissident republicans. In the context of Brexit, a primary concern for the Minister for Justice and Equality is security matters. The Minister is committed to working to ensure there is no diminution in the security relationship which exists with regard to subversive threat.

An Garda Síochána and the PSNI remain committed to working closely together to ensure the two services will continue to protect the safety of all of those on this island. This operational relationship is absolutely central to bearing down on and disrupting the activities of these groups and, therefore, to maintaining security across the island. Examples of the close co-operation are seen on a continuing basis with co-ordinated action taken in both jurisdictions in response to specific threats. Another aspect of tackling dissident paramilitaries is to disrupt the criminal activity and associations that are the main source of funding for these dissident groups.

The joint agency task force is a positive example of the extensive North-South co-operation undertaken between the police and other law enforcement agencies aimed at tackling crime and enhancing the safety of all communities on this island. This task force is led by senior officers from An Garda Síochána, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI, the Revenue Commissioners and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. A number of other relevant bodies including the National Crime Agency and the Criminal Assets Bureau are also involved in operational activity. The objective of this task force is to build on existing law enforcement frameworks and to increase the collective effectiveness of operational law enforcement actions on this island.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his fulsome response and I welcome the comments made therein. I raised this issue earlier today at the Committee on European Union Affairs when the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, was giving us an update on Brexit negotiations and preparation. I welcome the statement by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Helen McEntee, yesterday at the Committee on Justice that a number of measures in the Department of Justice and Equality will be included in the Brexit omnibus legislation to come shortly before the House.

Regardless of what happens with Brexit, and we are at a delicate part of that process, it is vital we have that level of co-operation between An Garda Síochána, the PSNI and the relevant agencies. I welcome the Minister of State’s closing statement in that regard. That co-operation has been vital to maintaining the security of the State. We cannot take it for granted and we have to make sure, first and foremost, that the resources are provided to An Garda Síochána throughout the Border region and in the relevant sections and Departments that the Minister of State outlined to ensure they can continue to do their job as effectively as possible. We may not be as worried in this jurisdiction but when the threat of dissident paramilitary violence is ranked as severe in Northern Ireland, that is a threat to every person on this island.

Let us not pretend these dissidents are misunderstood freedom fighters. They are, as the Minister of State rightly said, subversives, regardless of what political badge they try to put on, loyalist, republican or otherwise. They do not value the importance of life in this State, they do not respect law and order or the people of this island, regardless of what border we may put there. We need to call them out and ensure An Garda Síochána and every other agency in the State is tooled up and able to direct its full resources. I appreciate An Garda Síochána is stretched at the moment and we thank Garda members for their continued efforts in dealing with pandemic but it is the Minister of State’s responsibility and that of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to ensure the spectre of paramilitary violence is not let return to this island.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy makes some important and timely points. I assure the House that An Garda Síochána and its partners in Northern Ireland and the UK will continue to work closely together to tackle the scourge of dissident paramilitary actions. The close co-operation between police services on both sides of the Border has been a key element of policing for some time and Commissioner Harris and Chief Constable Simon Byrne are in regular contact in this regard. The Minister for Justice and Equality is working to ensure the existing excellent level of co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI is not undermined by Brexit.

It is recognized that Brexit may provide significant opportunities for subversives in Northern Ireland to increase their activities and take advantage of the situation. As the UK’s Intelligence and Security Committee notes, dissident republicans are actively seeking recruitment of young people, with the report noting that low socioeconomic areas proved to be fertile recruiting ground. The Independent Reporting Commission has highlighted in its report that countering dissidents requires a twin-track approach comprising a policing and justice response side-by-side with a comprehensive socioeconomic response addressing the systemic issues facing communities where the paramilitaries operate. The Minister subscribes to this view and supports the valuable work of the commission.