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.
While the Minister of Finance and I have approved the PSNI workforce recovery business case, affordability remains a key concern, given the current pressures on public finances. I have heard the comments made by the First Minister, and I would like to see this funding prioritised. I then had a constructive meeting…
Children in Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have equal protection from assault with adults. The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 removed the common law defence of reasonable chastisement from the law of Scotland on 7 November 2020. It was commenced 12 months later. The Welsh…
The current law in Northern Ireland on the physical punishment of children is based on the concept of reasonable chastisement. Article 2 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 has the effect of restricting the grounds on which the defence of reasonable chastisement can be used. In…
I totally agree with the Member. We were all raised on a diet of stranger danger, where we were told that the people whom we had to be afraid of lurked in parks wearing macs. The truth is that they did not do that; they lived among us. If you look at the history of sexual abuse, you see that they were people in the…
There is no provision in Northern Ireland law for the chemical castration — I presume that that is what the Member means — of sex offenders. The Member is obviously aware that the issue was raised as part of the sentencing review that was undertaken in GB for England and Wales. The review asked the Government to look…
We are trying to progress a number of work streams that will address sexual offending and the harm that it causes. I have already strengthened the law in that area through the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act 2022, which includes among others new offences of upskirting, downblousing, cyberflashing…
I am not suggesting that: I am suggesting that, where there is a risk and the police deem it proportionate, they will notify local families of an issue. Child safeguarding is the priority, so the police and other agencies can proactively disclose information about offenders, but that has to be proportionate, and it is…
Existing arrangements are in place under the PSNI child protection disclosure scheme, allowing information to be disclosed to members of the public in cases where doing so is necessary to protect a child or children from serious harm. Such information may be requested by any member of the public and will be disclosed…
That is one of the issues that I raised as a member of the Executive in response to the paper that came to the Executive about the review of the housing priority scheme. In a society that is changing and developing rapidly, it is really important that we look at equity in how victims of domestic and sexual violence…
There are a couple of things. First, I am aware that a number of people who have approached their solicitor about the waiver for legal aid in domestic violence cases have been advised that it was not available or sent down a different track. We engaged with the Law Society, asking it to provide its practitioners with…
The Department provides funding for the Probation Board for Northern Ireland's promoting positive relationships programme, which is aimed at adult males who have demonstrated the potential to be abusive in intimate partner relationships and at cases in which children are assessed by social services as being at risk. A…
I would like to, but, unfortunately, non-molestation orders fall under the Department of Finance's remit. However, we have raised the level of protection that the non-molestation orders offer to people who have an order that has been breached. The breach of a non-molestation order is a criminal offence. Therefore, a…
Significant support and provision have already been made available under the seven-year domestic and sexual abuse strategy for 2024 to 2031, which my Department leads in partnership with the Department of Health. The support and provision pillar of the strategy is intended to ensure that all victims of domestic and/or…
First, I condemn the attack on the Islamic Centre in Belfast at the weekend. It has caused distress and alarm not only among those who were at prayer when it happened but among those who regularly use the centre and other members of the community. We in DOJ are committed to playing our part in trying to deliver a…
First, providing guidance and practical assistance in the aftermath of hate crimes offers vital support at a critical time. Enhanced protections for victims are available through a range of mechanisms. Direct support is provided through the Hate Crime Advocacy Service, which is jointly funded by DOJ and the PSNI. That…
There is, of course, a salty retort that I could make about those who seek offence, but I will set that aside and be more ministerial in my approach to the Member's question. As the Speaker has acknowledged, I am not here to answer questions on behalf of the Alliance Party. The Member knows that. However, what I can…
I agree that it is vital that hate expressions be removed from public display. Their remaining in place normalises and makes acceptable the expression of sentiments and violent thoughts that are not acceptable in a civilised society. We need to acknowledge that. The issue is how we take that forward. The Commission on…
In recent days, we have seen how the use of threatening and abusive words and materials targeted at the most vulnerable in society can spread fear and division in communities and incite hatred. I continue to prioritise actions to deliver support for victims of hate crime, including those who are the target of hate…
Sentencing process and guidance — how it operates, who is responsible for it: the entire structure — is misunderstood by people in the House and by the general public. One of the reasons why we want to provide that clarity in the sentencing Bill that will come forward this year is to aid understanding of how…
I have two quick things. First, if the process is followed, it could be within the discretion of the judge; that is the point that I was making. Secondly, I hope that the Member is going to clarify that he does not agree that vigilantism is ever acceptable.