Protection of Rights and Safety in Custodial Facilities
Division held on 20 January 2025. The Motion Was Negatived
- Decision type
- Simple Majority
- Method
- Lobby Division
- Result
- The Motion Was Negatived
- Debate
- Custodial Facilities: Protection of Rights and Safety
Official Assembly record of this division Official Report of the debate
The motion voted on
Motion (Private Members' Motion): Protection of Rights and Safety in Custodial Facilities
That this Assembly commits to providing continuous support for the LGBTQ+ and other minority communities throughout Northern Ireland, while ensuring there is no diminution of societal rights, particularly the rights of women; agrees that our justice system must ensure that those placed in custody should not feel any more vulnerable than what would be expected from having their liberty taken away; and calls on the Minister of Justice to bring forward supporting legislation to give guidance to the judiciary, Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Public Prosecution Service, proposing that only biological males should be held in a male prison or holding facility, and that only biological females should be held in a female prison or holding facility.
This motion was assessed as culture-war activity
Tabling this motion was assessed as qualifying culture-war activity for the MLAs who tabled it. That assessment applies to the motion’s text, not to anyone who voted on it: votes are not classified, and voting for or against a contentious motion is not counted against an MLA.
Tabled by: Mr Andy Allen MBE, Ms Diana Armstrong, Mr Doug Beattie MC, Mr Robbie Butler
Totals
| Designation | Ayes | Noes | Abstentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationalist | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Unionist | 33 | 1 | 1 |
| Other | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Total | 33 | 48 | 1 |
How each MLA voted
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Ms Kellie Armstrong | No | Other |
| Mr John Blair | No | Other |
| Ms Paula Bradshaw | No | Other |
| Mr Stewart Dickson | No | Other |
| Mr Danny Donnelly | No | Other |
| Ms Connie Egan | No | Other |
| Mrs Michelle Guy | No | Other |
| Mr David Honeyford | No | Other |
| Mrs Naomi Long | No | Other |
| Miss Nuala McAllister | No | Other |
| Mr Andrew McMurray | No | Other |
| Mr Peter McReynolds | No | Other |
| Mr Nick Mathison | No | Other |
| Mr Andrew Muir | No | Other |
| Ms Sian Mulholland | No | Other |
| Ms Kate Nicholl | No | Other |
| Mr Eóin Tennyson | No | Other |
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Mr Maurice Bradley | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Phillip Brett | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr David Brooks | Aye | Unionist |
| Ms Cheryl Brownlee | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Tom Buchanan | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Jonathan Buckley | Aye | Unionist |
| Ms Joanne Bunting | Aye | Unionist |
| Mrs Pam Cameron | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Trevor Clarke | Aye | Unionist |
| Mrs Diane Dodds | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Stephen Dunne | Aye | Unionist |
| Mrs Deborah Erskine | Aye | Unionist |
| Ms Diane Forsythe | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Paul Frew | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Paul Givan | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Harry Harvey | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr William Irwin | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Brian Kingston | Aye | Unionist |
| Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Gordon Lyons | Aye | Unionist |
| Miss Michelle McIlveen | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Peter Martin | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Gary Middleton | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Alan Robinson | Aye | Unionist |
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Ms Claire Sugden | No | Unionist |
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Mr Gerry Carroll | No | Other |
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Caoimhe Archibald | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Danny Baker | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Cathal Boylan | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Pádraig Delargy | No | Nationalist |
| Mrs Linda Dillon | No | Nationalist |
| Mrs Sinéad Ennis | No | Nationalist |
| Mrs Ciara Ferguson | No | Nationalist |
| Miss Órlaithí Flynn | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Colm Gildernew | No | Nationalist |
| Miss Deirdre Hargey | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Declan Kearney | No | Nationalist |
| Ms Liz Kimmins | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Declan McAleer | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Philip McGuigan | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Maolíosa McHugh | No | Nationalist |
| Miss Áine Murphy | No | Nationalist |
| Ms Carál Ní Chuilín | No | Nationalist |
| Mr John O'Dowd | No | Nationalist |
| Ms Michelle O'Neill | No | Nationalist |
| Ms Aisling Reilly | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Pat Sheehan | No | Nationalist |
| Ms Emma Sheerin | No | Nationalist |
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Mr Mark Durkan | No | Nationalist |
| Ms Cara Hunter | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Daniel McCrossan | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Patsy McGlone | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Colin McGrath | No | Nationalist |
| Ms Sinéad McLaughlin | No | Nationalist |
| Mr Matthew O'Toole | No | Nationalist |
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Mr Timothy Gaston | Abstained | Unionist |
| MLA | Vote | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Steve Aiken OBE | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Andy Allen MBE | Aye | Unionist |
| Ms Diana Armstrong | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Doug Beattie MC | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Robbie Butler | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Alan Chambers | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Colin Crawford | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr Mike Nesbitt | Aye | Unionist |
| Mr John Stewart | Aye | Unionist |
MLAs who did not vote are not listed. Download these votes (CSV)