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 thank the Member for giving way. I appreciate it. The issue is that, when it is taken to the Court of Appeal, three appellate court judges will sit and consider whether the sentence was appropriately given. A degree of judicial discretion applies in all such cases. To suggest that it should be automatically…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the debate, because sentencing is a vital part of the justice system in Northern Ireland and one that is frequently poorly understood. It often involves complex considerations requiring a delicate balance to be struck between the rights of defendants on the one hand and the…
I thank the Member for giving way. I caution him that the matter is still sub judice, because there are ongoing proceedings. He mentioned financial recovery, and that matter is also still before the courts.
For clarification, being a really good boxer could be an aggravating factor if you were involved in GBH, because you could be seen as being more skilled in what you were doing. To be clear, you can get character references with any offence. If somebody is accused of GBH, they can have character references.
Not all sentences have a licensing element, so I am really at a loss to understand. If somebody is on a life licence, that is a permanent situation for the rest of their life, but many people will not have an extended licence. They will simply have their custody period. I therefore do not understand the point about…
I thank the Member for giving way. Before he continues, will he clarify that? At the moment, that is what happens. A person is offered the opportunity at arraignment to plead, and if they plead, they will get a certain reduction in sentence for entering an early guilty plea. If they plead later in the process, it is…
I wish to move on to the matter of Committee engagement, which was raised by the Chair of the Committee. I thank the Chair and Committee members for their work on the LCM. The LCM is limited in nature, and I will address that. The nature and overall topic of the Bill made initial engagement quite complex because the…
I agree. A rule of thumb is that the more sensitive the issue, the more moderate the language required. Some Members would do well to take account of that in their contributions.
It is rude in Parliament, and it is rude in the Assembly. I wish to return to the issue and move on with what I have to say about Committee engagement.
Mr Speaker, I am not sure where you went to school, but courtesy was taught in my school. People shouting across another when they are speaking is rude.
I thank most of the Members who contributed to the debate today. I will address some of the issues that they raised. It would be helpful if Members did not chunter from a sedentary position. It seems that Mr Buckley is at his most noisy —
I beg to move I am grateful for the opportunity to move the motion and speak about the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament. The Bill was introduced in Westminster on 30 January 2025. Its overall intention is to create a framework of new, enhanced powers and…
I thank all the Members who contributed to the debate and thank in particular the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Committee, who oversaw the scrutiny of the LCM. I will turn to some of the points that Members raised during the debate, which was constructive. To be clear, any engagement that we had with others, including…
I beg to move Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about the Crime and Policing Bill that is progressing through Parliament. Before I outline the provisions for which I am seeking consent, it may be helpful for Members if I briefly provide some background information.…
With your permission, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement on a bilateral ministerial meeting held under the auspices of the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) on cooperation on criminal justice matters that took place in Dublin on Wednesday 28 May 2025. I represented the Executive at the…
Legislative Consent Motion: Crime and Policing That this Assembly endorses the principle of the extension to Northern Ireland of the provisions of the Crime and Policing Bill, as introduced in the House of Commons on 25 February 2025, dealing with: an offence of cuckooing (contained in Part 4 Clauses 32 to 34 and…
Legislative Consent Motion: Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill That this Assembly endorses the principle of the extension to Northern Ireland of the provisions of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, as amended in the House of Commons on 19th March 2025, dealing with sharing of information…
Three years ago, I established a new role of Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime for Northern Ireland. The objective of the role was to give a voice to victims of crime, promote their rights under the Victim Charter and raise their issues with government and criminal justice organisations. I was also keen that…
I am very pleased to have recently launched a draft victims and witnesses of crime strategy 2025-2030 for public consultation. It aims to ensure that victims and witnesses are aware of their rights and are fully informed throughout their journey and that services are tailored and responsive. We are trying to create…