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 appreciate the engagement on this. The recording of hate incidents falls to the PSNI, but it would not affect only hate incidents; it would affect all reports of potential incidents that have taken place. Whilst I understand the point that the Member makes about how long people's data can be held — it is well made,…
I beg to move Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I am pleased to bring the Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill to the Assembly. On my reappointment as Minister of Justice in February 2024, I agreed my legislative programme with the aim of continuing the transformation of our justice system into a better one…
A number of steps would have to be taken before the PSNI could use live facial recognition technology. Procedures would have to be put in place, and they would have to be tested by the Policing Board, with input from its human rights adviser. As I have said, however, I do not believe that overly intrusive surveillance…
The use of facial recognition technology is an operational matter for the PSNI. It is something that the Policing Board has looked at. It does not fall within the work that I have been doing on holding biometrics. It falls into a different space. I agree, however, that the use of any form of technology that involves…
I say first that I recognise that there are many people who have been subjected to sexual abuse, whether as children or as adults, in settings that are not institutional. Their pain, horror and trauma is no different from that of those who were abused in institutional settings. The Executive took the lead on inquiries…
It would be important for any Member who decided to legislate in that space to undertake a full consultation, particularly with the judiciary, because none of us would want to impinge on judicial independence or encroach on a judge's discretion. To be clear, the granting of bail is not a measure of whether a crime is…
We cannot do everything in one piece of legislation. That legislation has its roots in 2019, when the original consultation was conducted. At that time, we looked carefully at what would be required to update our legislation. Sadly, it has taken us until now to have stability in the Assembly at the same time as the…
I know that Andrew is aware of the matter, and I have raised other firearms licensing issues with him. However, as I said, when it comes to how the PSNI operates the system, such issues ultimately fall to the Chief Constable. The portal is in place to ease the way for people to put in applications, but I know that not…
My understanding is that the PSNI portal has been in operation for some time and is a cost- and resource-saving measure. I also understand that it is possible to get assistance with access to the portal if required. Ultimately, however, how the PSNI receives applications and dispenses licences is an operational…
Certainly, by talking about the issue in the House and communicating our concerns, we can convey a public sentiment about the importance of dealing with such offences appropriately and ensuring that the sentencing is at an appropriate level. However, ultimately, the judiciary is independent of the Department, and…
Terrorism offences are entirely a reserved matter. I cannot change them with legislation here, but I am sure the Member will be happy to raise it with her colleagues in Westminster. There are sentencing and policing Bills going forward there, and I am sure they will be able to introduce amendments to make any changes…
There are a number of those. For example, sentencing for dangerous driving will be on day two, which is the day after the day after Royal Assent, when a law becomes effective, so it will become effective on day two. Some of the other measures included in the Bill, as the Member will be briefed, will have commencement…
The Bill was introduced last week. With the Speaker’s agreement, the Bill will come before the House for Second Reading around the start of the week after next. Obviously, you will be briefed about the Bill's content as a member of the Committee in the interim. As the Member has rightly pointed out, the Bill will…
I set out in my original answer that I had discussed with the Chief Constable the McCullough review and the importance of the work that was done. The Member has to understand that some matters are reserved, and national security issues are reserved matters and do not fall within my remit. It does not mean that I do…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 6 and 13 together. Freedom of the press is fundamental to a democratic society, allowing independent scrutiny of those in power and giving the public reliable, fact-based information. I therefore share the concerns raised around the surveillance of journalists.…
I give that assurance. We are looking at particular cohorts of cases for which, at the moment, the normal, most likely penalty would be monetary. Allowing the PSNI to deliver that as a penalty notice rather than have to go through the courts and prosecutors in order to get, in essence, the same outcome will free up…
Significant progress has already been made, but we are in a difficult position because the withdrawal of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) from cases has been, if you like, acting contrary to our intentions. However, we have been looking carefully and, of course, there is much more to be done. We made a 7·8%…
Out-of-court disposals are part of the Programme for Government commitment and are central to tackling delay in the criminal justice system, which is under significant pressure due to years of underfunding. Out-of-court disposals have been recognised by Lord Leveson as a central measure to reduce demand on the…
The speeding up justice programme is a five-year programme of work driven by the Criminal Justice Board and aimed at reducing avoidable delay across the criminal justice system. The programme is part of the Executive's Programme for Government delivery, specifically with regard to the safer communities priority and…
I have already outlined a considerable amount of the work that we have done around the Gillen review. In addition, we recognise that, whilst not all offences against women and girls are domestic offences and that not all domestic offence victims are women and girls, there is a reinforcing overlap. Therefore, we have…
I can indeed, and I could talk about a number of the other issues, too. I plan to deliver independent legal representation for specific pre-trial applications; to publish media guidance to encourage a trauma-informed, victim-centric approach to reporting sexual crime; and to consider options for a Barnahus-informed…
Numerical reporting on the number or percentage of completed Gillen recommendations does not convey the true scale of positive change in outcomes for victims. However, I am pleased to report that 181, which is 72%, of the 253 Gillen review recommendations are now assessed as complete, with a further 24 — that is 9% —…