Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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116. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there have been discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to the need to tackle paramilitarism, taking into account their programme for Government reference to the fact that “paramilitary harm continues to affect too many adults and young people”; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42304/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Officials from the Irish Secretariat in Belfast regularly engage with Northern Ireland officials about ongoing efforts to tackle paramilitarism, including the recent commitment in the Northern Ireland Executive's draft Programme for Government to refresh the Tackling Paramilitarism, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme. There is also very close, ongoing co-operation between the Gardaí and their police and security counterparts in Northern Ireland in all aspects of policing and in countering the threat from paramilitaries and cross-border crime.

The Government also engages regularly with the Independent Reporting Commission which was established under the Fresh Start Agreement to report on measures aimed at ending paramilitarism. The Commission has submitted six reports to the UK and Irish Governments to date, the most recent of which was last December. The Government continues its joint work with the British Government to consider the Commission’s recommendation for the appointment of an independent person to engage and to report on the possible establishment of a formal process of comprehensive paramilitary group transition. This is a welcome recommendation with the potential to make a positive contribution, and we are making efforts to progress it.

We are committed to continuing this constructive engagement with the Commission, with the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on tackling the complex problem of paramilitarism.