Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Jim D'Arcy for tabling this Commencement matter. I apologise to him on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, who cannot be here to answer his question.

The murder of Garda Tony Golden in the line of duty was a loss for the nation. Our thoughts are with his family and friends in their grief. He displayed a courage and commitment to duty which is in the best traditions of An Garda Síochána. His killing is a stark reminder of the considerable risk that the women and men of An Garda Síochána face on our behalf in their daily work. My sister served in the Garda Síochána for almost 30 years.

The allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. The Minister for Justice and Equality has been informed by the Commissioner that the allocation of personnel is monitored continually to ensure optimum deployment. This process is reviewed periodically in the light of particular incidents of concern. In this context, the Garda Commissioner has directed the allocation of an additional 27 gardaí, including two sergeants, to the Louth division as an interim measure. These gardaí are being transferred on a temporary basis to support the work of the 283 members of An Garda Síochána assigned to the Louth division.

The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, has secured an increased allocation in budget 2016 that will allow for the recruitment of an additional 600 new gardaí next year on top of the 550 that will be recruited before the end of this year. The work of local gardaí in the legislation is augmented by a number of Garda national units, such as the drugs and organised crime unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau, in accordance with operational demands. Tackling organised crime is a priority for the Government, the Garda and other law enforcement authorities. Of course it is a shared priority with the authorities in Northern Ireland, and extensive cross-Border co-operation is in place to tackle smuggling and other Border-focused criminal activities. This work involves police, customs and other law enforcement agencies from both jurisdictions. The inter-agency cross-Border enforcement groups on fuel and tobacco fraud are examples of this joint work in action. The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, met recently with the Minister of Justice in the North, David Ford, to discuss what more can be done to tackle cross-Border crime. The Ministers jointly hosted the annual cross-Border organised crime seminar in Sligo on 30 September and 1 October, which was attended by more than 100 delegates from North and South. It was one demonstration of the close and ongoing co-operation between the two jurisdictions in this regard. The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, is examining, in co-operation with her counterparts in the North, ways to build on the excellent co-operation that already takes place in this area.We want an enhanced overarching structure put in place to support it. Of course, the comments of the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, reflected that.

The Irish Government wants agreement to be forged in respect of proposals to establish enhanced cross-Border structures to tackle organised crime within the current talks process. It is the joint working of all the law enforcement agencies involved on both sides of the Border that will be crucial to tackling these issues. As a Government, we will support them in any way we can.