Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the proposals she is putting forward at the all-party talks on the need to establish a cross-Border task force to deal with organised crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38905/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Tackling organised crime is a priority for both the Government and the Garda and other law enforcement authorities. It is a shared priority with the authorities in Northern Ireland and there is extensive cross-border co-operation in place to tackle smuggling and other border-focused criminal activities. This work involves the police and customs services and other law enforcement agencies from both jurisdictions. The interagency cross-border groups on fuel and tobacco fraud are two examples of this joint working in action.

I met recently with the North’s Justice Minister, David Ford, to discuss what more can be done to tackle cross-border crime. I jointly hosted with Minister Ford the Annual Cross Border Organised Crime Seminar in Sligo on 30 September/1 October last with over 100 delegates from all the relevant agencies attending from North and South. It is one demonstration of the close and ongoing co-operation between the two jurisdictions in this regard.

I am examining, in co-operation with my counterparts in the North, ways to build on the excellent co-operation that already takes place in this area and we want an enhanced overarching structure put in place to support it. The Government wants to see agreement forged in respect of proposals to establish enhanced cross-Border structures to tackle organised crime within the current talks process at Stormont.

Joint working of all the law enforcement agencies involved on both sides of the Border will be crucial to combating criminality successfully. As a Government, we will support them in any way we can.