Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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290. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the areas of structured co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37695/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that policing in the border region has always presented particular challenges that necessitate a collaborative approach to policing with law enforcement agencies north and south of the border.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that there is an excellent level of ongoing cooperation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI.  The two police services work very closely together in respect of the broad range of policing responsibilities, not just on combatting the threat of paramilitary groups but also notably in combatting organised crime, ensuring road safety and in resource and capacity-sharing.

There is a Joint Cross-Border Policing Strategy operated between the two services.  The Strategy covers the range of policing activities and contains a series of initiatives in which both police services are actively engaged and which will go towards fulfilling its objectives.

A good practical example of on-going co-operation is the Annual Cross Border Conference on Organised Crime. The Conference brings officers from An Garda Síochána and the PSNI together to enhance co-operation between all law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border under the shared objective of combatting organised crime. 

Both An Garda Síochána and the PSNI are involved in the Joint Agency Task Force, established under the Fresh Start Agreement, which is comprised of both police services as well as other relevant agencies from both sides of the border.

The Joint Agency Task Force has made strong progress in tackling cross-border criminal activity across a range of crime areas, not just the traditional smuggling activities, but also rural and farm crimes, organised burglary and drug crime.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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291. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the preparations that have been made for co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland ahead of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37696/20]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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292. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the preparations that have been made for cooperation between An Garda Síochána and police forces in the UK ahead of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37697/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 291 and 292 together.

The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for operational matters including the distribution of personnel, which is kept under review in line with operational and security demands. An Garda Síochána has been preparing for Brexit for several years with a wide-ranging focus to determine operational requirements, including personnel, infrastructure, training and technology and continue to progress their contingency preparations. The Commissioner is committed to ensuring the organisation is prepared for the associated policing implications and challenges arising from Brexit.

An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021.  The significant level of funding provided over recent years is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff.  As a result, there are now some 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide.  Budget 2021 will allow for the recruitment of up to620 new Gardaí and an extra 500 Garda staff.The Budget allocation also provides for an increase in supervisory ranks at Sergeant and Inspector level.  More Garda recruits and more Garda staff means extra members of the service on the frontline and in specialist units battling organised crime groups, supporting victims, and keeping people safe including in Border regions

In the event that Brexit gives rise to additional requirements in border areas, further resources can be provided through normal deployment. These requirements will be kept under ongoing review by Garda management and detailed consideration given in due course to the medium to long-term implications. 

The Deputy will also be aware that there is close and ongoing cooperation between An Garda Síochána, the PSNI and police forces across the UK on all aspects of policing, with a particular focus on combating security threats and cross-border crime.

My Department has been examining these matters since before the Brexit referendum took place and extensive work has taken place to mitigate the effect of the UK withdrawal from the EU as much as possible.  Today, cooperation in the area of law enforcement, particularly in relation to Northern Ireland, is at an all-time high - and measures are in place to ensure that we have a viable extradition system with the UK and that the continuing exchange of law enforcement data is maintained in a manner compatible with EU instruments on data protection.

The Garda Commissioner and the Chief Constable of the PSNI, who are responsible for operational policing cooperation, have repeatedly emphasised the scope and the value of the close and high quality cooperation between the two police services in combating crime, protecting community safety and saving lives. The two police services operate a joint Cross-Border Policing Strategy which has as its aims to improve public safety throughout Ireland, to disrupt criminal activity and to enhance the policing capability of both police services in both jurisdictions.