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Mrs Naomi Long: Assembly records
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.
Of the many pressures that we face, the pressure in prisons is considerable. The prison numbers are not quite as high as the Member suggested, but they are certainly rapidly approaching the 2,000 mark. They are up 37% on what they were in 2020, for example. That is a considerable increase. It makes prison arrangements…
The Member will be aware that that position predated the current arrangements whereby this is an issue for NICS. At this point, it is not possible for us to bring the team back into the Department without considerable cost to the Department. One of the reasons for it being outsourced to NICS HR related to the terms…
It is vital that prison staff are supported to undertake their role of supporting and challenging people in prison to change and return to society equipped to make a positive contribution to their community. That is one of the reasons why, in June 2020, I commissioned a focused review of measures available to support…
As I made clear in my initial answer, I cannot give commentary on decisions made by the chief commissioner. The commission is entirely operationally independent of the Department, and it would be inappropriate for me to second-guess its choices.
Whilst the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service has sponsorship responsibility for the Planning Appeals Commission, the commission is an independent appellant body. Thus, similar to the judiciary, it is completely independent of the Department in its handling of cases and decision-making. It is therefore not…
I have had extensive conversations with the police and the Northern Ireland Policing Board about the data breach. I obviously had to have those conversations in the context of the budget. I do not have a figure on the five-year requirement, but I know that, this year, the police have bid in year for around £116…
I thank the Member for her question. There were four recommendations. One was that a fundamental review of the PSNI scheme should be undertaken, similar to the ongoing review of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) IOD scheme by the Department of Finance. The second was that a review of the PSNI scheme should…
The issue of the powers and duties of the selected medical practitioners forms part of the discussions that we are having with the IOD reference group. It would be fair to say, however, that we intend to put the guidance that is provided to the SMPs on a statutory footing. We hope to have that guidance before the…
I do not agree with the Member, because it is a matter that was transferred from the Police Authority, as was, to the Policing Board at the time of the Patten review. The reason for that was that, as the employer, the people on the Policing Board were best able to carry out the function. The Member will be aware that…
The Department is responsible for maintaining the statutory framework for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 for injury on duty awards and the police pension scheme in Northern Ireland for ill health retirement. The Department plays…
The draft Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Search, Recovery of Cryptoassets and Investigations: Codes of Practice) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 That the draft Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Search, Recovery of Cryptoassets and Investigations: Codes of Practice) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 be approved.
I thank all the Members who have contributed to the debate on the order. First, it is pleasing that there is broad consensus in the Assembly for the need to maintain the provisions in the temporary fashion that we have but also that there is broad consensus for us to put this on a firm legislative footing going…
I beg to move Thank you, Mr Speaker. I seek the Assembly's approval for the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024. That is SR 2024/72. The motion is that this order be approved. Article 2 of the order extends the provisions allowing…
With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement regarding a bilateral meeting under the auspices of the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) on cooperation on criminal justice matters, which was held virtually on Wednesday 11 April 2024. I represented the Executive at the bilateral meeting with Minister Helen…
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Carroll asked me to clarify my position on this matter. To be clear, this is, first and primarily — as I have said in public statements, contrary to what the Member suggested — a matter for the Policing Board. That does not mean that there would be no involvement in the Department…
The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 That the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 be approved.
I thank all the Members who spoke on the motion and the Business Committee for scheduling the debate for today. I guess that the only issue that was raised throughout the debate was why the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service and, indeed, the core Department, as well as its agencies, are not specified in the…
I beg to move I am asking the Assembly to approve the Period Products (Department of Justice Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024. I am delighted to bring forward these regulations for approval, as required by the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which…
I thank Members for their contributions on this matter. I hope that, in the course of the bringing forward of the order, we have been able to satisfy Members' queries. I hope that that, as opposed to disinterest in the subject matter, is the reason why so few have spoken. I believe that the order will allow for the…
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I was in the Chamber when the Finance Minister was answered her last question, which was from one of my colleagues. Whilst I do not want to raise in open Chamber those matters in the Executive that remain confidential, I ask the Minister to take an opportunity at the next point…
I beg to move Lay magistrates are members of the devolved judiciary whose role was introduced into the justice system in Northern Ireland in April 2005 following the recommendations of the criminal justice review, which published its report in 2000. Lay magistrates carry out important roles in the justice system. In…
I thank the Member for being so generous as to give way again. I may have misspoken when I talked about careless driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. I think that it came across that I meant that the maximum sentence was four years. It is 14 years, and the intention is to raise it to 20. I wanted to…
I thank the Member for giving way. I am aware of the concerns on that as I recently received a letter from the Policing Board on it. I am more than happy to meet the Member to discuss it directly, because I am aware of the concerns. Not all of them lie with the Department, but I am certainly open to having a…