To ask the Minister of Justice (i) whether her Department has assessed the extent to which organised criminal gangs and cross-border criminality are contributing to increases in (a) livestock theft; (b) agricultural machinery theft; and (c) quad bike theft; and (ii) to detail any dedicated (a) operations; (b) intelligence-sharing arrangements; and (c) joint working initiatives, currently in place with An Garda Síochána and other law enforcement partners, to address these offences.

As the Department does not hold any data on the crime types listed, no specific assessment has been made. However, I can confirm that there are robust mechanisms in place to enable law enforcement agencies to tackle all criminality from organised crime groups, including on a cross-border basis.

The Joint Agency Task Force (JATF) was established following ‘A Fresh Start’ - the Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan’ in 2015. It provides a strong strategic and operational framework for law enforcement agencies to work collaboratively to tackle cross-jurisdictional organised crime, including rural crime. The JATF is led by senior officers from the PSNI and An Garda Síochána with representation from other law enforcement agencies. The JATF enables partners to exchange information and intelligence and undertake ongoing joint operational activity, including dedicated Days of Action.

I receive a report on the JATF operations at the Ministerial meetings under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters. I then provide an oral or written statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly on JATF and the wider work relating to the IGA.

In addition, the Cross Border Policing Strategy 2025 - 2027 between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána supports collaboration and co-operation between the two organisations in tackling cross-border criminality.