Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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101. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland or with members of the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the provision of funding to address paramilitarism and tackle organised crime as provided for in the Fresh Start Agreement; if agreement has been reached on the level of funding; the source of such funding and the timescale for the proposed drawdown of these funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33098/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Fresh Start Agreement of November 2015 saw the two Governments, in Dublin and London, and the Northern Ireland Executive agree a way forward to ending paramilitarism and tackling organised crime.

This was a recognition that while great progress has been made in Northern Ireland more needed to be done to complete the transformation of society. In addition to measures to tackle paramilitarism, criminality and organised crime through enhanced police and justice cooperation, the Agreement recognised that community engagement and support for change would be required. This included a commitment to develop a strategy on disbanding paramilitary groups.

Progress on implementing the provisions of the Fresh Start and Stormont House Agreements are considered at quarterly review meetings. These are attended by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the First and deputy First Ministers and, where relevant to her portfolio, the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice. I represent the Government at these meetings. The last review was held on 29 June 2016, with dates for the next meeting under active discussion.

The June quarterly review meeting discussed the report of a three-person panel, established on foot of the Fresh Start Agreement to recommend the elements of a strategy for the disbandment of paramilitary groups. This panel, comprising Lord John Alderdice, Monica McWilliams, and John McBurney, made over forty recommendations. The Northern Ireland Executive updated the review meeting on its then draft Action Plan to take these recommendations forward. In July, the Northern Ireland Executive published its Action Plan on Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime.

The Northern Ireland Executive is committed to carrying out research into the social costs and implications of paramilitarism; to undertake a public awareness campaign on the harms done by paramilitarism and organised crime; and to report on efforts to tackle paramilitarism which will be linked to wider cross-Departmental and statutory agency work programmes aimed at reducing community divisions and the causes of sectarianism.

Under the Fresh Start Agreement, the UK Government committed to providing an additional £25 million over five years to tackle continuing paramilitary activity, with the Northern Ireland Executive to match this amount. I understand that the Northern Ireland Executive has already begun its drawdown towards implementation of the Action Plan and related commitments.

On 13 September, I signed an international agreement with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to establish the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC), which the Fresh Start Agreement states will report annually on the progress towards ending continuing paramilitary activity connected with Northern Ireland. These reports will inform future Northern Ireland Executive Programme for Government commitments through to 2021.

The Government will shortly bring forward legislative proposals before the Oireachtas to establish the IRC in law. The aim is to get the IRC established and up and running as soon as possible.