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.
There were two questions. On the first, when it comes to legacy specifically, separate arrangements are being considered by the Northern Ireland Office and Treasury. It is a UK Government policy, not a DOJ policy. Therefore, the legal support that will or will not be offered to people going through, for example, the…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the steps that I am taking to improve access to justice. I do so because I believe that there is an opportunity to reshape how justice is delivered in future in order to ensure a fairer system that is more proportionate and responsive. There has been keen…
Domestic homicide reviews provide organisations with an opportunity to reflect on policy and procedure and determine whether those can be amended or improved. They are vital because they keep people who are at risk of domestic abuse safer. To date, four executive summaries have been published. Some of their…
I find it slightly ironic that one DUP Member is asking me to spend more on Magilligan while another is asking me to spend less. The simple answer to your question is no, I would not consider it. That is because it is capital investment for Magilligan. That money is being invested in a necessary development that will…
My engagement with the Law Society and the Bar Council is ongoing. I will meet the Bar of Northern Ireland tomorrow, and I met the Law Society last week. As you know, Mr Speaker, I intend to bring a statement to the House in which I will set out my response not only to the Burgess review but to wider issues across the…
The chief executive and the chief investigator have already received the delegated authority to allow them to release reports. The absence of the ombudsman is therefore not a barrier to the release of reports.
The Police Ombudsman has not returned to work at this point. The Department has ongoing conversations with the ombudsman's office to ensure that it has the requisite authorities to be able to continue with its work. At this point, there has been no indication of the date on which the ombudsman will return.
Absolutely. When I visit Magilligan, one of the key things that I recognise is that what happens in the prison is not reflected in the estate on which it takes place. There is some excellent, important work happening through the Prison Service on rehabilitation, care for elderly prisoners and support for families, who…
The Member will be aware that we had to split the original business case, which included that work and the kitchen block, in two. We are now advancing the business case for the smaller accommodation block and the kitchen, and we will then look at the larger accommodation block. Those business cases are at the outline…
My focus and that of the director general is on ensuring that the Prison Service has the resources that it needs to ensure that it can focus on its key priorities, which are keeping people in custody safe and secure, keeping those who work in that environment safe and secure and supporting individuals in their…
On 1 November 2021, the Northern Ireland prison population was 1,559. On 1 November 2024, it was 1,925, which is an increase of 24%. Although the population position has not become precarious as quickly as we had expected, it remains highly challenging and very finely balanced. Pressures continue to be felt most…
It is not just something that I plan to do but something that I have been doing. At a constituency level, I wrote to the Minister for Communities about the fact that non-resident parents, even if they have shared custody, are entitled to housing benefit for only one additional room in their house by dispensation. If…
We have good engagement, through our domestic and sexual abuse expert panel, with organisations that support male and female victims of violence. We also take other opportunities to engage with them throughout the year. The Men's Advisory Project (MAP) is a really good example of an organisation that speaks up for and…
One thing that I have done is ensure that the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime can attend the quarterly meetings of the Criminal Justice Board so that, as we discuss the changes that we wish to make to the justice system to improve access, speed up justice and introduce new protocols, we ensure that victims…
First, I share the Member's concern about the rising number of domestic-related homicides in Northern Ireland. That is one reason why we have introduced domestic homicide reviews. The learning from those reviews will, I believe, be instructive in ensuring that our partners who respond at an operational level are able…
First, it would not be appropriate for me or my Department to engage directly with the Director of Public Prosecutions or the judiciary on any specific sentence, because they are completely impartial and independent of the Department and it is right that they should be. However, at the criminal justice board, for…
There are programmes that allow perpetrators, either through self-referral or police referral, to engage directly with us. For some time, the Department has funded the Promoting Positive Relationships programme, which is run by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland. It aims to provide men who are alleged to have…
Yes. The Department has engaged with the PCSP on additional funding and how it spends the money that it has at the moment. I am aware, for example, that the PSNI has increased patrols and that the PCSP has additional measures in place, whereby people can get alarms to carry with them for additional reassurance. There…
Most of the support for victims is provided via other Departments in collaboration with my Department. However, there is a range of cross-departmental priorities where we have allocated funding, including the ASSIST advocacy service; advocacy for the families of victims of domestic homicide; training for law…
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will answer questions 7 and 12 together. I condemn all acts of violence that endanger the safety and well-being of women and girls. In recent times, we have seen an increase in reported violence, including attacks in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. My Department…
Absolutely. If people have housing, employment and family support, they are much less likely to offend in the first place and, indeed, to reoffend, so it is a huge part of the work that we do on rehabilitation. On bail and remand reviews, that is a decision that was taken by the Lady Chief Justice when we had…
Every prisoner who is committed to our care, whether on sentence or on remand, will be asked questions and can share information with us, up to the point that they wish to do so, about any historical issues with their mental health or with addiction. There are therapeutic services, but they are provided not by the…
Initiatives are in place to mitigate the risk of homelessness, but, to be clear, when somebody leaves prison, they leave the care of the prison system and the Department of Justice. We cannot, for example, retain people in custody or deprive them of their liberty at the end of their sentence on the basis that they…
The provision of stable accommodation for those on release from prison is a critical factor in ensuring desistance from reoffending and resettlement into the community. Whilst responsibility for the allocation of housing sits solely with the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the…
It is important that, when we look at those who are at risk, we consider the impact on children. As you are aware, in the domestic abuse offences, there are statutory aggravators that take account of children being aware of, having had sight of or hearing domestic abuse taking place. It is important that, when we…