805. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Justice the measures being taken by An Garda Síochána to tackle the importation and sale of illegal tobacco products by organised crime groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45141/24]

Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice: As the Deputy will be aware, the Revenue Commissioners are responsible for tackling the production and sale of illegal tobacco products in the State. Revenue Commissioners are under the responsibility of the Minister of Finance; as Minister for Justice I have no role in this matter.

I can assure the Deputy that targeting the work of organised crime groups who inflict intimidation, violence and misery on families and communities, is a top priority for the Government, my Department and An Garda Síochána.

The Department of Justice has taken a number of steps to support the work of An Garda Síochána in tackling illegal drug use and organised crime. These include:

• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug related crime;
• Enacting new laws to criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime;
• Drafting new laws which will provide for the use of facial recognition technology in the investigation of certain drug offences
• Rolling out a support programme to break the link between the gangs and the children they try to recruit.

An Garda Síochána continues to work closely with international partners to combat transnational crime. Given the global nature of organised crime, international law enforcement co-operation remains a key element in the overall response.

An Garda Síochána has strong and strategic partnerships in place at international level, including working closely with relevant law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and Europol and participating in the Maritime Analysis Operations Centre for Narcotics (MAOC-N) based in Lisbon.

The deployment of Garda Liaison Officers has also proven to be an effective and practical form of interagency cooperation between police services. It has supported the exchange of information and the coordination of operations across borders.

In 2022, the Government approved the expansion of the Garda Liaison Officer Network, following a request from the Garda Commissioner. This expansion created two new posts for Garda Liaison Officers in Abu Dhabi and Bangkok. These posts are in addition to existing positions situated in Madrid, Paris, London, The Hague, Washington DC and Bogota.

I can assure the Deputy that there is ongoing, close cooperation between An Garda Síochána and their colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle cross-border criminality, including through the mechanism of the Joint Agency Task Force (JATF), which was established under the 2015 Northern Ireland Fresh Start Agreement.

The Task Force is producing results and helping keep people safe in really practical, visible ways through customs seizures, identifying victims of human trafficking and joint days of action against organised crime groups.

North-South cooperation in policing and criminal justice continues to be a priority for the Irish Government. Minister Naomi Long and I meet under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Criminal Justice Co-operation. This provides a formal structure where we can discuss criminal justice matters of mutual interest in the two jurisdictions, and consider opportunities to develop even more effective co-operation.