New justice ministers on both sides of the border held a detailed telephone conversation yesterday afternoon and expect to meet in person at the North South Ministerial Council next week.

Minister Helen McEntee noted the last meeting between both ministers under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-Operation on Criminal Justice Matters took place in November 2016 and said she is looking forward to future engagement with Minister Naomi Long.

Justice minister Helen McEntee said that close cooperation between both forces had been a key element of policing the COVID crisis, with AGS Commissioner Drew Harris and Chief Constable Simon Byrne in regular contact

Valuable work

Minister McEntee said “I am glad to hear that the valuable work of the Independent Reporting Commission is continuing and they remain on course for publication of their third report later this year.

“An ambitious target was set in the Fresh Start agreement in 2015, and I believe that we must remain ambitious in how we tackle paramilitarism.

“The twin track approach espoused by the IRC, which involves a criminal justice response coupled with tackling the wider socio-economic factors that can lead to criminality, is well-founded and we are already very committed to such an approach.”

Transition period

The Ministers also discussed Brexit as the end of the transition period approaches.

“We are concerned that there will be no UK-EU agreement in place by the end of the transition period, particularly given that an extension to the transition period was not requested.

"It is very much to be desired that a detailed and comprehensive agreement between the UK and the EU will be in place by end December 2020 for police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters,” Minister McEntee said.