All of Ms Emma Sheerin’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Like the Member who just spoke, I am appalled by what we have just witnessed. I feel sorry for the new leader of the UUP. You watched how the DUP used masked men last weekend and then criticised and condemned masked men in the following days. Just watch how you will be treated in years to come when you have done their…
Uncertain: close callLegacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarismCriteria met: Identity framing.
I thank the Member for giving way. I am absolutely astounded. He is making the argument for us. If children are more likely to be coerced at 12, 13 and 14 than they are at 10, they need to be protected. Genuinely, how is it the answer to criminalise them?
I thank the Member for giving way again; he has been very generous with his time. I understand his concerns about what might almost be called the arbitrary nature of the listed offences. All of this is a balancing act, and we chose offences, as the exceptions to the rule, that held the maximum penalty because they are…
I thank the Member for giving way. The rationale of the Members who tabled the amendment is that prevention is always better than cure and that we would rather not see children be placed in such a position. The party of the Member opposite blocked a measure to enable girls to wear trousers in school. If they were…
What we saw last week on the streets of Belfast was disgusting. It was racism in all its ugly reality, and it has to be condemned outright by everyone in the Chamber. Unfortunately, as others have touched on, the leadership needed to deal with what happened and to deal with the poor, affected communities came not from…
To ask the Minister of Education to outline any action he is taking to provide placements for children in Mid Ulster who have not been awarded a place at either their first choice or second choice school setting.
I apologise for intervening again so soon. For clarification, a fortnight ago, a nine-year-old was arrested in Derry. What you have just presented is misinformation. Given your previous role, I think that you know that that is misinformation. It is not in order for you to mislead the House.
I thank the Minister for her pronunciation of "doli incapax" given how I was going to say it. I appreciate your clarifying that, Minister. Does the Minister agree that we have seen, across the world, that that model is costly and inefficient and that best practice across the world tells us that raising the minimum age…
I will speak on the group 4 amendments that Sinn Féin will support, and I thank the Minister and her party colleagues for the work on them. We all acknowledge that there are massive problems with the structure and accountability of existing PSNI disciplinary procedures. The problems are not just historical but are…
I thank the Member for giving way, and I appreciate his remarks on the tough job that police officers do and the challenges that they face. Will the Member agree that, when wrongdoing is found on the part of police officers, it damages public confidence in the police? If we resist measures to ensure that those police…
I will speak briefly about an issue that I have raised in the House on numerous occasions: domiciliary care provision and home care, specifically in my constituency of Mid Ulster. It is appropriate that I speak about it during Carers' Week, when we acknowledge the role of unpaid carers in our society and the struggle…
I appreciate the Member providing that clarification. I know that there was conversation on the inclusion of commercial animals as well as just domestic pets, and I believe that you have given a commitment to include that as well. With all that said, I am content with this part of the debate.
I thank the Minister for her intervention. That will be key and integral to the success of the legislation. If the police have new powers to deal with criminal gangs, organised groups, paramilitaries or whatever you want to call them, we have to ensure that there is a twin-track approach and that all issues are dealt…
I appreciate that clarity from the Minister. The concern came from a recent presentation to the Committee, and Criminal Justice Inspection’s (CJINI) report on child criminal exploitation presented us with some worrying findings. The inspection team could see that children had been exploited, but there were zero…
I will speak briefly on a number of the issues covered in this group of amendments. My party will support all the amendments in the group. I appreciate the clarification given earlier in the debate. Amendment Nos 45 to 48 tackle organised crime gangs, and my party agrees with the principle of all those amendments. It…
I thank the Member for West Belfast for bringing the Matter of the Day to the Chamber. I associate myself with a lot of the remarks that he made. What happened to this gentleman and his family on Saturday was wrong, and I welcome the condemnation from across the House and society. A lot of the commentary has referred,…
Racist Arson Attack in Shankill Road Area To ask the Minister of Justice for her assessment of the racist arson attack on a business in the Shankill Road area on Saturday.
I thank the Member for giving way. He has been generous with his time. I can appreciate the neatness argument and the alignment argument. I understand that, and I imagine that most Members do. However, that should be prioritised over young people's well-being. We know, because there is a significant body of evidence,…
I thank the Member for giving way. I appreciate that he had a reason to be out of the Chamber earlier. That causes us some confusion about where you and your party stand on the minimum age of criminal responsibility. The position that you just outlined makes sense, because it means that the two ages would align, which…
I welcome the opportunity to speak to the group 2 amendments relating to child bail, custody arrangements and live links. I also welcome the tone in which the debate has been carried out so far. I put on record again my thanks to everyone involved on the staff side from the Department, the Committee and the Bill…
I thank the Member for giving way. I listened intently as you set out your case initially, because I was confused about what you were advocating, to be honest with you, when talking about the change. In the first instance, I would say that what you have set out could be solved, perhaps, by raising the minimum age of…
I thank the Member for giving way. It is important to note that the Human Rights Commission’s advice was that the 75/50/25 model is too broadly constituted, disproportionate and not compatible with article 8. That should be the standard that we set for ourselves.