Peers press for information about contingency planning on security cooperation in the event of no deal with EU
The House of Lords European Security and Justice Sub-Committee have today expressed their concerns over the lack of clarity in Government plans to ensure public safety, if the UK does not reach agreement with the EU on future security collaboration by the end of the transition period in 2020.
Committee chair Lord Ricketts has written to Security Minister, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, following the Minister's meeting with the Committee on 16 June to discuss the progress on UK-EU negotiations about future cooperation on security and criminal justice.
The letter presses for greater clarity on how the Government would continue to ensure public safety if continued cooperation with EU on a range of criminal justice and policing measures could not be agreed.
Following Tuesday's evidence session with James Brokenshire, Lord Ricketts said:
“The Government is optimistic that agreement can be achieved on the UK's continued involvement in a range of EU measures that have proved so effective in helping to preserve the safety of UK citizens, as well as those of our EU partners.
However, the Minister also acknowledged that agreement may not prove possible in all these areas. We therefore ask the Government to provide clarity as a matter of urgency on how it intends to ensure that any failure to reach agreement will not weaken law enforcement and security in this country.”
Lord Ricketts' letter asks the Minister to provide details by 10 July on what steps the Government will take if the UK cannot reach agreement on extradition, access to criminal databases and law enforcement measures.
A key concern set out in the letter is what the Government will do if the EU does not grant the UK a data adequacy decision later this year. The letter said: “A positive data adequacy decision from the EU Commission is probably the single most important requirement in order to achieve close EU/UK cooperation in the field of law enforcement and justice. If this matter is not resolved, we cannot see how the UK Government can get close to replicating the arrangements that we enjoyed as an EU Member State.”
