Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Smith of Clifton (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Thursday, 29 October 2009.

Northern Ireland: Cross-Border Police Co-operation

Question: My Lords, will the Minister give us an assurance that this issue will be resolved before the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly? There really has been a great deal of procrastination by Dublin and London on this issue. My noble friend Lord Alderdice raised it over a year ago and the noble Lord, Lord Cope, did so again in June. I should like an assurance that it will be done before it is given to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Answer: My Lords, if the noble Lord is referring to delays in mutual legal assistance requests, a lot of work has been done on that since it was raised in June this year. Discussions have taken place between the two authorities, and both authorities are adamant that there are no longer any delays due to bureaucratic problems. Any delays are only the result of the complexity of the information requested.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 713 c1271
Session: 2008-09
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Admissibility of evidence Criminal investigation Courts Cross border cooperation Northern Ireland Police Republic of Ireland Witnesses
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk