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.
As I outlined in my response to Cheryl, it is a matter for the PSNI. There are two schemes. The first allows the PSNI, where it has concerns about the behaviours of an individual and their interaction with a particular family or children, to raise that directly with the parents. It is free to disclose that in certain…
We are taking a number of actions. First, I propose that we strengthen and streamline notification requirements further by extending the relevant provisions of the Crime and Policing Bill, which is making its way through Westminster. I tabled a legislative consent motion on the Bill in the Assembly, and that debate is…
Public safety must always come first in that space. That is why the Probation Board and others work closely with the Housing Executive and other accommodation providers to ensure that the approved accommodation in such circumstances is suitable and meets the requirements of, for example, any offender restrictions that…
Suitable accommodation for convicted sex offenders is an important constituent of managing the risk in the community. The public protection arrangements in Northern Ireland (PPANI) bring together agencies including the police, probation services, health and social care trusts and the Housing Executive to manage the…
MACR was consulted on in the previous mandate, and we had positive responses from those who work with young people. I wrote to all Executive colleagues about the plans that we had. We responded, for example, to concerns about serious offending such as rape, serious sexual offences and murder and were willing to…
I find it a bit rich that the Member whose party sat in the Executive for many years and never had any written guarantees about anything now holds others to a different standard of accountability. He says that we campaigned for me to be Justice Minister, but let us be clear: the reason that I stand here as Justice…
In seeking to raise MACR, we are not saying that children's offending behaviour should be ignored or that they should get away with it. Changes would need to be accompanied by the development of new arrangements to identify the underlying causes of concerning behaviour in younger children and to provide support,…
I have been unable to progress an increase in the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) despite considerable support for that in a public consultation. That would bring Northern Ireland in line with the international standards, including directives from the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child. At 10…
That is absolutely correct. At the end of the day, I cannot legislate by myself. I will require input from the Justice Committee, the various people who are impacted by any changes, the Chief Constable and his senior management team, and the Policing Board. Ultimately, however, the final decision will be taken in the…
I believe, from the news reports, that he did indicate that to the board last week. Again, that will need to be considered, first of all by the board and then by my Department, to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest in the administration of the scheme. One needs to bear in mind that a Chief Constable…
In fairness, we have delivered changes to the regulations, but primary legislation would be required to deal with some of the areas that the Chief Constable believes may be being exploited. He raised that with me, and, obviously, we are not the body that is responsible for determining ill-health retirement. That falls…
I accept what the Member says. I am also aware that the Policing Board has received a complaint concerning PSNI ill-health retirement. It would be inappropriate for me to discuss those matters at this juncture. It is under consideration by the Policing Board, as the appropriate authority, and I am certainly happy, on…
I am aware of the concerns that the Chief Constable raised at the Policing Board about the steady growth over recent years in the numbers of people who are retiring under ill-health retirement. The numbers fell fairly consistently during the mid-2000s but started to rise again from around 2020, with the highest figure…
The Police Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 — the regulations — set out the PSNI ill-health retirement process. Officials will continue to work with colleagues from the PSNI and the Policing Board to determine whether amendments to the ill-health retirement scheme are required. However, a statutory rule…
There are a few things to say on that. First, when I am asked questions about the situation, which is a matter of public interest, I will answer them. I will not be curtailed by any of the legal professions, or, indeed, by Members, when answering public interest questions. In the same way, you are asking me questions…
Given that the Solicitors' Criminal Bar Association has, in contrast to the Criminal Bar Association, been very proactive in its engagement with the Burgess road map and the ongoing review, and without detriment to the service that was provided to its clients, I have been clear that any accelerated review would also…
I concur with everything that the Member has said, and I am sure that she will agree with me that there is something fundamentally distasteful and unethical about leveraging people's trauma for personal benefit. I believe that it is wrong to do that. I do not want victims to become bargaining chips in this exchange.…
Mediation has not been brought to a close; it has not started. There is no mediation in the process. It is about an evidence base, openness and transparency. The dispute is not between an employer and employees; it is a dispute about the rates that the Government will pay, out of public money, for particular services…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will address questions 3 and 10 together, as they speak to the same issue. I want to resolve the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) dispute. We have been engaged with the CBA since before the outset of its action in 2024, and I continue to engage with it. I made commitments and…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members for their thoughtful contributions to the debate. The LCM is wide-ranging. It is the second LCM on this piece of legislation, and, as I indicated, there is the potential for a third LCM. Unfortunately, whilst that is complicated and often frustrating, it is completely…
I beg to move I beg to move the following amendment: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Westminster on 25 February 2025. The provisions in the Bill that extend to Northern Ireland deal with tackling serious crime, economic crime, sexual-related crime and with increasing public…