The Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD, today met with Brandon Lewis MP, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Naomi Long MLA, Minister for Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was in Dublin for a series of meetings, and Minister Humphreys took the opportunity to discuss security matters with the Secretary of State.
Following the meeting, Minister Humphreys noted,
“The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I share a commitment to ensure that security and prosperity on the island is maintained. There is excellent co-operation between the Gardaí and their counterparts in Northern Ireland, and this close cooperation continues post-Brexit.
“This operational relationship is key to ensuring security on the island of Ireland and we must ensure it is maintained. It has been and will continue to be central to saving lives and protecting communities.”
Later this afternoon, a virtual meeting was held with the Minister for Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive, Naomi Long MLA, which focussed on cooperation in criminal justice matters. It was an opportunity to share recent policy and legislative developments and to discuss the ongoing North South work streams under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Criminal Justice Cooperation (IGA).
Minister Humphreys said,
“It is important that the mechanisms and frameworks that we have in place for North South cooperation continue to be utilised to best effect. There is already strong cooperation in criminal justice matters between both jurisdictions, which is strengthened by the structured cooperation under the IGA on Criminal Justice Cooperation.
“The IGA plays a key role by providing a formal structure in which to exchange information, foster relationships and identify areas of work that would benefit from cross border cooperation.”
Ministers Humphreys and Long will meet again in the coming weeks under the IGA, with a Ministerial meeting scheduled for 26 May.
Commenting on both meetings, Minister Humphreys concluded,
“It is timely that in my first days in office I should meet with my Northern Ireland counterparts. It is critical that we all work together to ensure a safe and secure future for this shared island and I look forward to working closely with both to further that goal.”
Ends