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 for giving way. He has been generous with his time. We all agree that the ideal situation, as with the Sentencing Bill for example, is where the vast majority of clauses are in the Bill at Second Reading. Obviously, we were coming out of a period of suspension of the institutions, which meant that…
I beg to move amendment No 1: Before turning to the amendments, I take the opportunity to thank the Committee for its support and commitment in completing its scrutiny of the provisions of the Bill and the proposed amendments. I also thank the current and previous Chairs, Deputy Chairs and members for their engagement…
Firearms licensing is an operational matter for the PSNI. The PSNI has asked me to consult on increasing fees, but the PSNI strategic transformation team, in its work, is looking at all of those issues, including how the portal works and how effective it is. I am sure that the Member agrees with me that, ultimately,…
First of all, the public are not being asked to pay for it in my consultation. We are asking the people who want to hold a firearm to pay for their own licensing arrangements on a cost-recovery basis — to pay what it costs. The reason for the £2 million deficit to which you refer is not the inefficiency of the office…
I am very supportive of an amendment that would allow the Police Ombudsman to submit an early report where it is clear that the officer concerned has committed gross misconduct to allow that person to be dismissed. It would allow the PSNI access to the information that is required to commence and conclude disciplinary…
Dr Melia has agreed to coordinate and chair an implementation group to oversee the delivery of her 16 recommendations. That will bring invaluable continuity to ensuring that they are implemented. I am grateful to Jan for her ongoing commitment and support. The Department is in contact with her and will provide…
First and foremost, I agree. It is completely unwarranted that people are being re-traumatised as a result of their feeling the need to come to me, any other elected representative, the PPS or the CBA to recount their trauma and seek a derogation. I do not believe that any victim, any witness or, indeed, any person…
First, I thank the Member, who, along with her constituency colleagues, brought Kathryn and Aaron McCollum to meet me and my officials last week. Ian McCollum's case was most horrific, not just because of the loss of life but because of the circumstances in which it happened. I am relieved, for their sake, that a full…
It is clear that the ICRIR sits outside the remit of the Department of Justice. It has a memorandum of understanding with a number of our arm's-length public bodies for the delivery of disclosure and services to them, but it is not within my remit. I had no part in the setting up of the previous legacy arrangements —…
I have read the executive summary: I confess that I have not yet read the full report. There are a number of things that I would reflect on. First, it is important that the NIO looks carefully at the governance arrangements because, ultimately, the ICRIR is a beast of its creation, and it is important that it ensures…
I made clear that approval for the content of the Bills preceded the publication of the report to which the Member refers. It is hard for me to anticipate what will happen in the future and make provision on the basis of a recommendation that has not been made. To be fair, it would have been difficult for me to have…
The policy content for the Justice Bill was agreed by the Executive in July 2024, and the policy content for the Sentencing Bill was agreed in December 2024. The responses to a joint DOJ and Department for Communities public consultation on antisocial behaviour legislation, including drinking in public, were published…
My officials have sat down and sit down regularly with the other two partners, but, whilst people are not happy with where it sits now, there is no formal agreement about where it should lie. To be clear, there are those who wish to move it to the Department, but that would not be appropriate, given that the…