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Mrs Naomi Long: Assembly records
All of Mrs Naomi Long’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
I thank the Member. It is a long time since I studied Latin at school, and I doubt that my pronunciation is perfect, so either of us could be right on that. Our understanding of how children's brains develop and the influences that can be brought to bear on them has moved on. We have a successful youth justice system…
The rules are already in place in the defence of coercion. They would apply in situations in which younger children are coerced into criminal activity and be dealt with under child criminal exploitation measures, in which case the offence is committed by the older person rather than the child. If you do not raise the…
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the rebuttable presumption of doli incapax was abolished in 1998 as part of an overhaul of wider youth justice legislation. No consideration has been given to its reintroduction as part of my Department’s work to review and increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility…
I am more than happy to answer that. First, I draw the Member's attention to the fact that we do not currently have an ombudsman. It is therefore unfair to discuss a private individual and make allegations about how they conducted themselves in their role or how their office conducted itself. It is unhelpful for…
There will be two restrictions on what can happen. The first is that, in the case of anyone who has retired in the previous year, it will be for the Chief Constable to decide whether the threshold has been met; that mirrors the regulations in England and Wales. The second condition in England and Wales is that someone…
I tried to assuage those concerns. It is worth noting, however, that the regulation will apply only to someone who retires after the legislation becomes operational. Officers who have already retired or who retire while we await Royal Assent will not be covered, so the provision is retrospective only in the sense…
You are generous with your time, Paul. Thank you very much. The other pertinent thing in this, which I raised in my opening remarks, is that, before the relevant authority forwards that to the Chief Constable and before the Chief Constable decides to proceed with disciplinary proceedings, they would, potentially, also…
I will clarify the point about retrospectivity. The issue is that, first, it would give the Chief Constable or the employing authority the same power as there is in England to recall somebody up to year after they leave service, where an allegation of misconduct is serious. It would need to be a serious allegation to…
I appreciate the point that the Member makes. However, the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust (PRRT) specifically supports former police officers either to find a new career and retrain or to be rehabilitated, if they have had an illness or injury, and continue to earn a living. There are special measures in…
Thank you, Mr Speaker. With your indulgence, I will put on record my condemnation of the extraordinary incident in north Belfast last night. Most of us were shocked and horrified at the violence that we witnessed, which was recorded and broadcast online. I extend my best wishes to the victim and his family. I know…
First of all, I want to say that, by and large, it has been a constructive debate. It is clear that people can be passionate and, in the main, exchange their views with courtesy. It is important that we continue to do that, because these are important matters. Whilst we may go about our business slightly differently,…
To clarify, PSNI deals with both. The Assembly deals only with paramilitaries because terrorism is a reserved matter. There is a terrorism investigation unit in the PSNI that deals with both groups. You are right: it will capture all the organisations that engage in organised crime, and it is entirely appropriate that…
Two offences are being created because I share, to a degree, the Member's concern. One is participating in organised crime, and, crucially, the other is directing it. I think that many people are concerned that those who participate, particularly at the margins, may be the ones who normally face court and sanction…
I have set out a few times the harm that it is doing, but I am happy to do so again: it makes hypocrites of those of us who argue for freedom for Christians in other countries and ask them to repeal their blasphemy laws. The blasphemy laws of other countries are often draconian and enforced with a heavy hand, and can…
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have just set out very clearly my position, but it seems that the Member behind me is intent on misrepresenting it, despite the fact that I could not have been clearer about what I said. Is it in order for a Member to go out of their way to deliberately misrepresent another…