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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 qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service has recently completed a public consultation on a proposal for the permanent closure and disposal of Limavady courthouse. The consultation paper and associated impact assessment documents are available on the departmental website. Thirty responses were received during…
The issues to which the Member refers do not all lie with the Department of Justice. Issues such as addiction services are the responsibility not of the Department of Justice but of the Department of Health. Many of those issues are to do with accommodation, housing and social ills that we are dealing with. We take…
Again, it is not for me to carry out that assessment, but I can say that it required mutual aid. That mutual aid has had to be called on again in respect of the threat of disorder in Garvaghy Road. As a result, we will face bills. I can say with confidence that, last year, disorder of that nature cost us £5 million. I…
My strategic priority is to support the recovery and stabilisation of the workforce by enabling the PSNI to recruit, retain and develop high-quality officers, while protecting morale, well-being and operational resilience. Indeed, last week, at an event organised by the PSNI about dealing with misogyny, sexism and…
I will answer it openly and honestly. Yes, that would have an impact on policing. When such things occur, and there is the potential for disorder on the streets or conflict, the police are put in the invidious position of having to hold the thin green line between violence and peace. Their first priority is always to…
The resourcing and deployment of neighbourhood policing teams are operational matters for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting that operational independence and the role of the board in holding him to account. The Member may therefore wish to…
First, as the Member is aware, having spoken to the family, I found it really useful to understand, for example, the trauma that has been caused, particularly to Mr Kelly's youngest children, who were not aware of the circumstances of his death. That has had to be explained to them; an appalling thing for any parent…
As you are aware, the two brothers are held separately because we believe them to be a bad influence on each other. Therefore, we believe that their being held separately is the appropriate way forward. It is of profound regret that, despite the fact that an intelligence-led operation in Magilligan last Tuesday…
The Northern Ireland Prison Service presented Gary Anderson to Londonderry courthouse on Monday morning. There, after having the conditions of his compassionate temporary release read to him by Prison Service staff, he was passed to his court-appointed chaperone. At 11.20 am on Monday, it was advised by the PSNI that…
I thank the Member for what is a supplementary to the original question. I am more than happy to answer questions that are genuine supplementaries. When it comes to the issue of lessons learned, there was, of course, an immediate review of those proceedings. We have established the timeline and a number of…
With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will answer questions 1 and 6 together. Where a decision by the Northern Ireland Prison Service to refuse compassionate temporary release is successfully challenged in the courts, the Prison Service is required to comply with the court's ruling. In such cases, the safeguards…
Mr Speaker, I do not intend to rise to the bait that is being laid by others in the House. You appealed to us to be responsible and to be aware of the moment that we are in. I know exactly where I was on 27 September 1995: I was getting married. My husband was working in Lurgan, and I recall with clarity and profound…
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I apologise for the interruption. I say this as an MLA, not as a Minister. When a Member is speaking and has indicated that they will not give way, is it in order for Members to continue to disrupt that Member's speech by continuing to ask them to give way?
It is fairly clear at this stage of the questions that some people want to make this a political football. References to people being released historically — murderers and so on — have nothing to do with compassionate temporary release. It is just another political jibe in the Chamber that, of course, we have come to…
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I wish to make a statement to the Assembly on the case of Gary Anderson, the circumstances surrounding his compassionate temporary release, his subsequent absconding and information that has come to light following further examination of the matter. At the outset, I reiterate…
The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) (No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026 That the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) (No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026 be approved.
Gary Anderson absconded from a short period of leave under the Prison Service's compassionate temporary release scheme. All sentenced prisoners may apply for that kind of temporary release when a member of their immediate family has died or is critically ill. All applications made under the scheme are subject to a…
Thank you, Mr Speaker. As I mentioned at the beginning of the debate, progressing the Bill is a priority for me. I thank all Members who contributed to the debate for their constructive and positive engagement. In general, the engagement that we have had on the Justice Bill and, hopefully, that we will have on the…
I thank the Member for giving way. The added complication, of course, is that, with domestic and, in particular, sexual offences, the offender will often have groomed an entire community, not just the individual victim, to believe that they are above reproach, would not have conducted themselves in such a way and…
Thank you. I feel the Member's pain about being in the Chamber too much today. The issue that he raises is one that I raised in my opening remarks. I said that it is a complex area of law, because it weighs the rights of the defendant and the victim. By the way, good character references can be introduced as part of…
If the Member is responsible for most of the amendments that are tabled, will he be happy for me to also compare their thickness with that of the blue paper that is in front of us today?