Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Mar an gcéanna le comhghleacaithe eile, beidh Sinn Féin ag tacú leis an rún atá os ár gcomhair anocht. The Prüm Convention and the Schengen Agreement are a series of measures that cover cross-border co-operation in the exchange of data regarding DNA, fingerprints and vehicle registration of concerned persons involved in criminal and terrorist activities. As we know from daily experience in this country, cross-border criminal networks are a real threat to the safety and well-being of large numbers of people. That threat now exists on a bigger scale across Europe. Other colleagues have referred to some of the more notorious criminal gangs that have emerged in this jurisdiction. They are alleged to have collaborated with gangs in Italy, the Balkans and the Netherlands, while their criminal activities are carried out here as well as in Britain, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

The focus of the convention is the criminal organisations that cause so much misery to those they target and coerce. While we relentlessly pursue the criminals, we also have to be mindful that the laws being used do not inadvertently affect people's human and civil rights. That is why, when it comes to certain restrictive measures in the technological field such as databases tracking migrants, there needs to be strict oversight and scrutiny. The proposal correctly rules out the use of artificial intelligence to scan the facial images of the general population but it may be used against known or suspected criminals. Human rights-based law is compatible with protecting the people the criminals are exploiting while firmly and effectively closing down the criminal organisations themselves.

It is ironic that the British Government was one of the largest users of certain shared crime databases administered within the EU when its Brexit policy has tied its hands by withdrawing from the European Union. Nonetheless, as the Minister knows, there needs to be effective co-operation between the EU and the British Government when it comes to agreeing an approach to tackling organised crime across the Union. This approach needs to be based on clear guidelines and accountability, not aspirational or persuasive appeals. That approach does not work. States have resources, both intellectual and practical, way beyond what most of the advanced criminal organisations have. Those resources need to be marshalled and used to suppress and render ineffective organised crime. This motion will assist in that objective and we support it.