Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address cross-border crime between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The UK Government is strongly supportive of the many initiatives led by the devolved authorities and carried out by UK law enforcement agencies and PSNI in conjunction with their counterparts in Ireland.

The Joint Agency Task Force, established under the Fresh Start Agreement to enhance law enforcement cooperation aimed at tackling organised crime and criminality, is one such example. This Task Force brings together expertise from across law enforcement agencies, including PSNI, HMRC, NCA and Border Force and their counterparts in Ireland. This is an excellent example of how UK based agencies and bodies collaborate effectively with those in Ireland to tackle illegal activity.

Relationships between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána (AGS) are strong across all strands of activity including on tackling the threat from Northern Ireland related terrorism, an issue for which the UK Government has lead responsibility. Their combined efforts continue to keep people safe on both parts of the island.