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.
The terms of reference cover all the key issues and the key Departments that we anticipate will have some input to make. However, they also give the independent reviewer scope to pursue whatever fields of enquiry are, she believes, relevant, and that will include any engagement with other trusts, hospitals and…
To be clear, it will not be only the actions and interventions of the PSNI that will be considered. There was a range of opportunities across a range of statutory agencies, where earlier intervention may have made a difference to the outcome. None of us can say, with confidence, whether it would or would not have.…
I published the terms of reference for the review of the case of Jonathan Creswell on Friday 21 February. I also confirmed that I had appointed Jan Melia as the independent reviewer. I believe that the terms of reference are expansive and provide the reviewer with the scope to look at any and all issues that she…
To be clear, there is no dispute with legal practitioners; there is a dispute with the criminal Bar. The remainder of the legal practitioners continue to work and are working with me. Only the criminal Bar has withdrawn its services at this point — certainly, as far as I am aware, that is the case. I met the criminal…
We recognise that, across the Civil Service, there are people acting in front-line roles whose jobs are distinct and different from those of people who are office-based and do not have to interact with members of the public who, often, are vulnerable and volatile. The Prison Service has a unique situation, which is…
Based on the number of people who have applied, the recent recruitment campaign has been quite successful. Northern Ireland remains in a much healthier position than other jurisdictions that have run recruitment campaigns. The increase in the number of assaults has undoubtedly has an impact on the prison staff already…
I thank the Member for his question. Each prison establishment is distinct. Hydebank Wood is the smallest such establishment in Northern Ireland. Despite its size, it comes with its own complexity from housing young male and female prisoners on a single site. Although the young male population there has remained…
The Northern Ireland Prison Service, like all public services, has faced budgetary pressures over a number of years. In response, it has made significant efforts to drive efficiencies, where possible. In doing so, however, it has at all times been mindful of the need to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff. The…
There is no need for a clear decision to be made. A clear decision has already been set out, which is that people will be housed in the prison system in a way that maintains and protects their dignity, their privacy and, crucially, their safety. That remains the policy that the Prison Service will follow.
Operation Encompass does not particularly pertain to an adult's experience of someone driving past their home. It is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases, but a person's repeatedly arriving at your place of work or your place of residence, their initiating contact with you that, you have made clear,…
The harm that domestic and sexual abuse causes to the lives of children and young people is significant. There were strong calls for the domestic and sexual abuse strategy to include a fifth pillar in addition to partnership, prevention, support and provision and justice that specifically focused on meeting the needs…
That is a really important and timely question. When we introduced the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Bill, which became the 2021 Act, to the House, I was clear that the provisions were to be gender-neutral so that, irrespective of a person's gender, sexuality, race, age or whatever they identify as, they could…
As I said, since the commencement of the pilot, there have been over 30,000 referrals to schools, which shows how necessary that information-sharing protocol has been. The sharing of information creates an administrative demand on policing, particularly on sharing and then on teachers receiving that information.…
The Domestic Abuse Information-sharing with Schools etc. Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022, which make statutory provision for Operation Encompass, came into operation on 1 April 2022. The regulations were drafted by the Department of Justice in partnership with the Department of Education, the Department for the…
There was no suggestion in the report that the current tripartite arrangements were not appropriate. However, what I think was suggested in the report, and something that I considered at length with the Policing Board in the previous mandate, was whether we needed, in light of there now being devolved institutions,…
There is always a danger that policing will become politicised — by which I mean party politicised — because, of course, policing is inherently a political issue. It requires the support of the public and of politicians, and it requires us to engender confidence in policing. Policing is an inherent part of the…
The report was received by my Department on 22 January 2025 and was published on 30 January 2025. I will now take time to consider the report’s findings and afford the Policing Board and the Chief Constable time to reflect on the recommendations that are relevant to them. I will outline my response to the…
First, it was really important that we were able to have a recruitment campaign. It is very important that the PSNI is right-sized to be able to provide the critical service that it does. I encourage any young person, irrespective of their background, to consider a career in the police, because it is important for…
It is difficult to speak specifically about how much it will cost the PSNI. I know that stabilisation pressures have increased by about £60 million due to changes in employers' National Insurance contributions, and that includes things such as the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) pay award assumptions and legal…
My officials have been working closely with the PSNI to develop a robust business case for the funding that will be required to recover workforce numbers over the course of the current mandate. I am pleased to confirm that that business case has been submitted to the Department of Finance for its consideration. I…
It is very clear that the court has indicated that, at this stage, it does not believe that the appropriate authority is the ombudsman's office. It is also clear that alternative structures are being created to investigate and, to a degree, adjudicate in matters that relate to legacy issues, of which the Independent…
I have been entirely clear, without any caveats, about condemning the attack on police officers at the weekend. People who put themselves in danger in order to protect the rest of the community deserve our cooperation and respect. They should not face attack. I remind the Member who asked the question that our job, as…
The issue of whether someone owes somebody else an apology is not one that I am going to get into. The issue is about the robustness of the court judgement. The response of the ombudsman to that will be known in due course, when, like me, she has had adequate time to reflect on it. She will reach her own conclusions…
We always know that we are being lined up for one of those gotchas when somebody says that it is a simple yes or no answer. Of course, it is not, because, first, it would be entirely inappropriate for me to make any comment on an ongoing police investigation, so I will not be drawn into doing so, either in a single…