Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo linn arís. I do not need to reiterate, because the Minister of State knows better than most, the scope of the crime and criminality we deal with in an increasingly globalised world. Anything that seeks to enhance, refine, professionalise and improve our policing services throughout the EU is to be welcomed. From our perspective, it is well known that Sinn Féin has its criticisms of the EU and subversion of sovereignty, but co-operation is welcome and, I would contest, necessary in this regard to counter some of what we have seen manifesting on the streets of this city.We discussed it at length during the Minister of State's previous appearances before us. Anything that assists the Garda in this instance is to be welcomed and encouraged. It has been Sinn Féin's position to support international co-operation on justice matters within a sovereign framework that ensures human rights compliance. That is the key component in this issue.

As I listened to the Minister of State and read over my notes, I wondered whether any thought had been given to the impact of Brexit on co-operation between the Garda and the PSNI? We are in uncharted waters and I do not mean to veer off from the content of this motion, but this matter is critical. We know that cross-Border co-operation works particularly well when dealing with issues of human and drug trafficking. Many issues may arise for us as the Brexit decision across the water takes shape and begins to be implemented. To be valid, EU harmonisation or co-operation measures on justice or training for those engaged in the administration of justice should have as their objective the increased protection of human rights. Does the Minister of State believe that this is the case in this instance? I ask this question in light of the reasons that I have outlined previously. I do not need to rehearse them.

Within a human rights-based framework, Sinn Féin supports international co-operation on justice matters where it is necessary to fight crime, in particular child protection concerns and the cross-border trafficking of drugs, weapons and humans. I support this endeavour and I hope that we as legislators, including the Government, will continue to have oversight on broader policing matters and final decisions and will not concede any ground to unelected officials or quangos at EU level.

I appreciate that I may be catching the Minister of State unaware, but perhaps he will make reference to the issue of Brexit and express how he believes it will impact on participation in CEPOL.