Justice Minister Naomi Long has spoken with her recently appointed Irish counterpart, Minister for Justice & Equality, Helen McEntee TD about maximising the benefits of cooperation.
Naomi Long said: “I know Helen and am very much looking forward to working with her in the weeks and months ahead.
“We have many issues in common across the criminal justice portfolio and it is important that we maximise the benefits of close co-operation.
“Now there are two ministers in place again it’s an opportune time to re-establish theIntergovernmental Agreement reporting structure and to refresh the work programme. I look forward to sharing views on which work areas would best be served by cross border cooperation specifically, under the IGA, as we move forward in our respective mandates.
“While responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and EU exit will be important areas of focus for us both over the next number of months, we will also work together to continue the progress our departments have made on wider issues. These include areas like community safety, public protection, support for victims and youth justice.”
Notes to editors:
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