Select committee: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Conclusion 1
Fourth Report - Cross-border co-operation on policing, security and criminal justice after Brexit
Published 28 Apr 2021
Paragraph 18
Addressed to Northern Ireland Executive; Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Cross-border co-operation on policing, security and criminal justice after Brexit All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We welcome the fact that the UK and EU have agreed a new security partnership as part of the agreement of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. At the time of the inquiry hearings, Brexit had had no discernible operational impact on cross-border policing and the ability to co-operate with partners in the EU has been maintained. Before the announcement of the agreement, we had heard concerns that a failure to secure a deal on security could have led to a reliance on cumbersome extradition and intelligence sharing processes. The agreement mitigates these concerns and, importantly, provides a foundation for the continuation of UK and Irish law enforcement agencies’ well developed means of co-operating to maintain the security of the Common Travel Area.
From: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Fourth Report - Cross-border co-operation on policing, security and criminal justice after Brexit (HC 766), paragraph 18, 28 April 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 5 July 2021 (deadline 28 June 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government response sets out how the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) arrangements operate and says it will "take steps to address any issues should they arise", while giving a mostly non-committal reply on several recommendations.
- On the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, the government says it was convened on 24 June 2021 in Dublin, and "It was agreed that the next BIIGC should take place in London in November."
- On inviting Northern Ireland Executive representatives to the Specialised Committee, the government says it values their perspective, but "final discretion in any specific instance as regards attendance would be held by the UK co-chair".
- On a review of extradition after two years, the response does not commit to one. It says it will "continue to work closely" with partners to monitor the arrangements and "take steps to address any issues should they arise".
- On a Northern Ireland centre of excellence, the government says it "looks forward to reviewing any proposed plans" from the PSNI, the Department of Justice and other agencies.