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 welcome the publication of 'Drug Related Intimidation in Northern Ireland', which was commissioned by the Executive programme on paramilitarism and organised crime (EPPOC) and delivered by the Public Health Agency, and was pleased to be at its launch with Minister Nesbitt. The report shines a light on and recognises…
Yes. Projects that offer vital support to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse have recently received funding from my Department and the Department of Health. A total of £259,091 has been allocated across 10 organisations by the scheme for 2025-26. That money will enable them to deliver a range of…
I am glad that I do not have to write to you, because that was the next part of my answer, and I just thought that it was too long as I was working my way through it. First, work is continuing on section 32, which places a requirement on the Department to publish a statement setting out information about the level of…
The majority of provisions in the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 have now been commenced. However, work to implement a few outstanding measures is still in train, one of which is section 27, which makes provision for my Department to make regulations on protective measures for victims…
Given the work that has been done, which both Community Restorative Justice Ireland and Alternatives were involved in as part of the working group, we are fairly confident that those areas are covered. When I talk about the different levels, to be clear, some of the people whom we are talking about at the top of that…
Adult restorative justice is already allowed for in the policy and the statement that we have already made. We have already launched the strategy and an action plan. It is already being dealt with. It is hard to put it on a statutory footing, because restorative practice can take a multiplicity of forms. To try to…
The new restorative hub will be integral to the delivery of adult restorative justice services. The benefits of the hub are that practitioners can co-facilitate their referrals to gather experience, participate in group training and professional supervision, and contribute to a monthly community of practice. It is…
We intend to create, essentially, a pyramid of access for all restorative justice. At the top of that, the highest-qualified and most experienced providers will deal the most sensitive cases where restorative justice may be appropriate. At the bottom of that, there will be a much wider group, with much higher numbers,…
With your permission, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I will answer questions 4 and 13 together. Restorative justice is a well-established practice in Northern Ireland, both in the formal youth justice system and through community-based initiatives. It aims to address the harm and/or trauma caused by crime by…
Home Office Ministers provide us with opportunities to further strengthen and streamline the current sex offender notification requirements by extending provisions proposed in the Crime and Policing Bill. As Members will appreciate, providing a consistent UK-wide approach to sex offender risk management is paramount…
The first thing to say when it comes to points of order on this is that the data is not held by my Department, and there is an extant ruling from the Speaker that, when it comes to operational PSNI matters, I am not required to seek that data or to present it here as though it were my own. The second thing to say is…
Delivery of the child protection disclosure scheme is an operational matter for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The scheme enables information to be disclosed to members of the public where it is necessary to protect children or a child from serious harm. The information may be requested by any member of the…
We do not know when the matter will crystallise. Our preference is to settle it as soon as possible, but we do not know whether it will crystallise this year or next. It is important that we do not set aside money this year and hold it until the last minute, because we will end up having to return it to the Treasury…
Pay will, undoubtedly, have an impact on morale; there is no question about that. As I said, however, there are things other than pay and the speed at which people get their uplift that will impact on morale in the PSNI. The contractual pay arrangements have already been implemented. Since those are unavoidable, I…
The Member will be aware that, when it comes to Justice funding in general, I have said on many occasions that we have seen an increase that is well below inflation; in fact, had we matched inflation over the last 10 years, Justice would have around £225 million in addition to what we have at the moment. That would…
I am sorry; I did not catch all of the question, but I think it was referring to the police support staff potentially going on strike. Of course, the rationale for doing so is not to do with pay, because their pay has already been realised in-year. The issue there is to do with the settlement of the data breach…
With your permission, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I will respond to questions 1 and 2 together. I am committed to implementing the Police Remuneration Review Body's recommendations in respect of the 2025 police pay award as soon as possible. As Members are aware, public sector pay awards must meet the…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thanks to those Members who contributed to today's discussion. I have a couple of things to say. In addition to enabling access to justice, which is absolutely critical, this legislation has a role in speeding up justice and in bringing some economic efficiencies to bear on the…
I beg to move I seek the Assembly's approval for the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) (No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025, SR 2025/151. I am grateful to the Justice Committee and the Examiner of Statutory Rules for their scrutiny of the order. Article 2…
I am tempted to treat the Member's TikTok preview with the contempt that it deserves, but, given the seriousness of the issue and the fact that I have met the family, I am not going to do so; I am going to give answers. This is not the only place in the UK where somebody who has committed murder would be released on…
It is too late to include any change of that nature in the sentencing Bill. As Members are aware, that Bill is making progress through the various drafting phases to be introduced this side of Christmas, in all likelihood. However, there are issues with an opt-out system too, in that people may then end up perversely…
On the first of those questions, of course it is of great concern to the Department, and particularly to the Prison Service, when an event such as that occurs. The administrative error that was the cause in that case has been identified and rectified. Further, though, as I said, a review is ongoing of all similar…
I have met many victims of crime and fully appreciate the profound impact that the release of prisoners back into the community at the end of their sentence can have. The safety of the public and consideration of the impact on victims are of the utmost importance to me. Michael and Marjorie Cawdery died because of a…
I have just set out the work that we are doing on speeding up justice. One of the particular reasons that we are looking at, for example, changes in the jurisdiction of the courts, as well as more out-of-court disposals for lower level offences, is to ensure that court time at the High Court is reserved for the most…