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.
1,632 records match, page 50 of 66.
I very much share the views of Enda Dolan's parents. I have met them on a number of occasions and sought to reassure them that it is a priority for me. We have issued drafting instructions for what needs to be done. The policy intent is clear, and we have shared that with the family. For five of the past 10 years, we…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Sentencing Bill Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Sentencing Bill
I can reassure the Member absolutely that it will not be half a Bill. The sentencing Bill is a much wider Bill in its policy extent and size. Whilst the Justice Bill is wide in scope, it is, as the Member will understand, narrow in focus and technical in nature. The victims Bill is much wider-ranging. It covers many…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Justice Bill Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Justice Bill
Given that most external organisations generally comment on the policy intent of a Bill rather than its clauses, it would probably be wise to consult on the policy content of the entire Bill, which is known to the Committee now. However, if the Committee wishes to wait, as is its wont, until it has all the clauses,…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Justice Bill Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Justice Bill
Although not part of the formal REC project, arrangements have been made to allow male and female victims of domestic abuse to give remote evidence from the Fermanagh Women's Aid building in Enniskillen. Officials are involved in discussions with partners to establish similar arrangements in the Foyle family justice…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Domestic Abuse Contest Courts Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Domestic Abuse Contest Courts
Since December 2023, the Belfast remote evidence centre (REC) has hosted domestic abuse contest courts. On a DACC day, several contests are listed to run consecutively, with all victims giving their evidence from the REC. There have been four DACC days to date: 12 December, 11 March, 13 May and 23 December. A total of…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Domestic Abuse Contest Courts Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Domestic Abuse Contest Courts
The roll-out will cost £134,000 in 2025-26 and £139,000 in 2026-27. It is really important to recognise the impact that the adult SOLAs have had on the willingness of victims and witnesses, who are often also victims, to turn up and give evidence in court and on their feeling supported and empowered in doing so. That…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Sexual Offences Legal Advisers: Children's Service Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Sexual Offences Legal Advisers: Children's Service
Cases involving sexual crime are obviously some of the most intrusive and difficult for victims to endure. The impact on children is understandably far more intense. I have met young victims and their families who have told me directly how challenging the criminal justice process can be. The adult sexual offences…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Sexual Offences Legal Advisers: Children's Service Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Sexual Offences Legal Advisers: Children's Service
I absolutely agree with the Member. The project is an excellent example of the use of a public health approach, which has been adopted by the tackling paramilitarism programme. It is about undertaking small-scale projects like this to address a specific issue, rigorously and robustly testing them, and looking to imbed…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Connect Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Connect Project
The Connect project, which is funded through the Executive programme on tackling paramilitarism and organised crime and led by the Education Authority, provides professionally qualified youth workers, based in two emergency departments, to engage with and support vulnerable young people aged from 15 to 25, who are…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Connect Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Connect Project
The issue of a future review mechanism continues. It was one of the more complex issues in ensuring that there were no repercussive implications. NIPSA is very much part of that conversation, as will the other unions be. It is our intention, hopefully, to be in a position to confirm that with the unions as soon as…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: PSNI Civilian Staff: Revised Environmental Allowance Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: PSNI Civilian Staff: Revised Environmental Allowance
I thank the Member for the question. I made a commitment to unions and police staff that I would work with the Chief Constable and the Department of Finance to resolve the issue of ensuring that staff are paid a meaningful rate of revised environmental allowance in recognition of the important role that they play in…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: PSNI Civilian Staff: Revised Environmental Allowance Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: PSNI Civilian Staff: Revised Environmental Allowance
Section 9(3) of the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 amended the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 to extend the existing anonymity for victims of sexual offences and complainants in sexual offence cases for 25 years after their death. This amendment implemented a Gillen…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022
My Department has been proactive in taking difficult decisions to reduce the level of financial pressures to £48 million from £86 million after the June monitoring round. That has not been achieved without an adverse impact on the justice system, particularly but not solely on the PSNI in the recruitment of police…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Justice: Budgetary Position Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Justice: Budgetary Position
As reported to the Department of Finance in the urgent in-year budget information-gathering exercise, my Department is facing inescapable stabilisation pressures of £48 million. This position remains unchanged. In addition, my Department is facing exceptional pressures of £227 million in relation to legal claims from…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Justice: Budgetary Position Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Justice: Budgetary Position
We have a recruitment campaign, which I believe is due to start this autumn. As you know, I had agreed that we should add to our complement of prison officers to ensure that prisoners and prison staff are safe in our establishments and that we are able to maximise the regime. When we are low on numbers, it is not…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Prison Service: Inappropriate Behaviour Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Prison Service: Inappropriate Behaviour
I caution Members against assuming that every death in custody is under suspicious or other circumstances that may be of concern. Many deaths in custody are of natural causes, but we are not able to disclose that kind of detailed information in respect of individual prisoners until their families have been informed…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Prison Service: Inappropriate Behaviour Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Prison Service: Inappropriate Behaviour
The Northern Ireland Prison Service takes any allegation of inappropriate behaviour by a member of staff seriously and has well-established mechanisms to investigate and respond. In the past five calendar years, 2019-23 and inclusive of 2024, 10 allegations of inappropriate behaviour led to disciplinary action and…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Prison Service: Inappropriate Behaviour Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Prison Service: Inappropriate Behaviour
The Member probably highlights the most frustrating thing for victims when it comes to holding people on remand. When people are given bail, it can be incredibly frustrating for victims, particularly where they feel vulnerable or under threat. What is even more frustrating is when victims, in cases where they get a…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
The revenge porn legislation in Northern Ireland is reasonably up to date, in the sense that it was first introduced, I think, in 2014-15. It was then further refined, as some of your colleagues who sat on the previous Justice Committee will recall, to include threats to release private materials, which is a form of…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
As the Member will know, the decisions that are made by the judiciary are entirely independent when it comes to sentencing. However, the issue of sentence credit has been raised by a number of members of the Criminal Justice Board. The determining point is what we consider to be an early plea. Is it on the first day…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
First, we will all want to acknowledge and pay tribute to the invaluable role that the voluntary and community sector plays, not only in providing crucial support to victims and survivors but in bringing collective knowledge, skills and expertise to inform our strategic policy and operational responses. With the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
Every life lost through violence is an unacceptable tragedy, and I think that we are all rightly and deeply appalled at the increase in incidents of violence against women in recent weeks. All of us must do everything in our power to challenge and change the attitudes and behaviours that treat women's lives as though…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
It would be very difficult to suggest that any part of the Ministry is not under financial pressure. As things stand, we have reached the point in the Department of Justice where, when we push down on one cost centre, another one rises. For example, if we decide not to invest in electronic monitoring, we push up the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Programme for Government: Justice Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Programme for Government: Justice
I submitted a series of key performance indicators (KPIs) along with my key submissions to the Programme for Government. My Department set out measurable targets that were challenging but achievable. Those will, I think, form part of the annex to the Programme for Government in due course. The Executive are to meet…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Programme for Government: Justice Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Programme for Government: Justice
I intend to prioritise them in the manner that I always have. I want to say a couple of things. First and foremost, as I have made clear, if we are going to change the rates of femicide in Northern Ireland and tackle violence against women and girls, we need an Executive-wide approach. It requires, for example,…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Programme for Government: Justice Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Programme for Government: Justice
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