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 will answer those questions in reverse. The social value of legal aid is that is provides access to justice for those who could not otherwise afford to access justice. I see it as being part of the welfare system and the security net that is provided for our citizens. Therefore, it is important that we are able to…
I thank the Member for the opportunity to provide clarification. The answer is no it has not. When I launched the programme in December, I noted my intention to progress a fees uplift as soon as possible and to consult on the proposed uplift in January, with a view to implementing the changes in May. There is a…
Work has progressed at pace since I announced the programme on 2 December, and I have now published the programme delivery plan for consultation. The consultation will be critical in ensuring that we examine issues in the right order and properly take account of interconnectivities. I have been clear, however, that we…
The Executive-wide programme includes work that goes on in schools, and, indeed, there are many good initiatives in the school system on tackling paramilitarism, particularly those that look at trauma-informed approaches. I can think of two clear examples. The first one is the trauma-informed approach in the Encompass…
At the moment, EPPOC is the sole funder of the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland's work on developing trauma-informed approaches across the system and has been briefing all parties and the Justice Committee on what has been learnt through the programme. That applies to paramilitary harm, but it goes much wider…
As Justice Minister, I am acutely aware of the daily and cumulative impact of trauma, because the justice system is often the place of last resort for people and communities with trauma. Justice agencies such as the Youth Justice Agency and the Probation Board are leading the way in showing how to adopt…
I was clear in my statement that, while I welcome the fact that the criteria for extra points relating to paramilitary harm have been changed to reflect the wider harms that happen in our society, such as domestic violence and sexual abuse, which were very much a secondary consideration when it came to claiming points…
As the Member knows, paramilitaries will act under any banner that allows them to justify their existence to a local community or to pretend that they are protagonists acting on behalf of that community. The truth is that they feed off the misery in those communities. The Member will also be aware that I intend to…
Without doubt, the reach of harm that paramilitaries inflict on our communities is extensive and wide-ranging. The Member has namechecked a number of the most common types. Of course, it is not limited to those. We know that child sexual and criminal exploitation, among many other things, is a feature of…
Since 2021, the programme has developed and tested a range of interventions involving over 2,500 victims of paramilitary harm who have been directly supported by the programme. That is helping to break the victim-perpetrator cycle for future generations. Key interventions include the Insync project, the first bespoke…
At the outset, I record my condemnation of the two most serious recent paramilitary-style shootings that occurred: one of a teenager in Ards, the other of a pensioner in Coleraine. Such barbaric brutality has no place in our community. Those attacks must stop. Statistics provided by the PSNI indicate that, in 2024,…
The Member will be aware that I am keen to extend the service to young people. I am delighted to be able to update Members on that: later this week, in partnership with Victim Support NI, I will officially launch the children's sexual offences legal adviser scheme. The scheme has been specifically designed to meet the…
In November 2024, I announced the extension of the adult sexual offences legal adviser — SOLA — pilot scheme for a further two years until 31 March 2027. The SOLA service is available to all adult complainants in serious sexual offence cases up to the point of trial and has provided free, independent legal advice to…
It is hugely important that we engage with the family. We have been doing that when looking at the terms of reference for the review and at how we intend to move forward with that. It is important that Katie's family are at the very heart of the review. They feel that their questions have not yet been answered and,…
Not only is compliance essential; it is the very least that we can expect from the public bodies that were involved at any stage with Jonathan Creswell, Katie Simpson or any of Jonathan Creswell's alleged previous victims. I expect that key agencies will want to engage positively and constructively with the review, so…
With respect to my jurisdiction, I can go only so far with the review. I am clear, however, that it needs to operate on a multi-agency basis. I have already named the primary agencies: the PSNI, the Northern Ireland Prison Service, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and the Western Health and Social Care Trust.…
Members will be aware that, on 13 January, I committed to a bespoke review of the Jonathan Creswell case. It is vital that we understand and learn from the case in terms of both safeguarding victims and managing offenders. I am keen that the review begin as swiftly as possible. To that end, my Department has prepared…
At the outset, I say that it was disappointing today, in a debate that purported to be about the protection of women's dignity and of women's rights, that a sequence of men in the Chamber chose to speak at us and for us rather than give way to listen to us as women. In fact, when the Ulster Unionist Party Member for…
I thank the Member for giving way. I am aware that there has been a focus, particularly in recent years, on incidents that affected women negatively. Does the Member acknowledge that there have also been deaths in custody of trans prisoners due, at least in part, to policies that were extant in England and Wales?
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. This is the second time in the debate that we are discussing athletics and sport. With all due respect, I am the least qualified person to answer questions in that regard. Is it not a general rule of thumb that when we are engaging in debate in the Chamber, it should be on the body of…