Debate contribution: Justice Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Frew on 8 June 2026.

MLA

Mr Paul Frew

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

8 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Justice Bill: Consideration Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5600791

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Minister for that intervention and that commitment. She will know that I am sincere when I say that the Department, the Minister and I will work hard together to address any concerns that the Department has. I hope that Members opposite and everywhere else in the Chamber will acknowledge the engagement and the work that has been done already between me, my party, my colleagues and the Minister and the Department on the amendments and will take that into consideration when they eventually vote on them. These amendments recognise that behaviour as a form of domestic abuse and allow courts to protect animals through existing civil protection orders. They are supported by the Links Group, Dogs Trust and Cats Protection as well as Tara Cunningham's Causeway Coast Dog Rescue. I am mightily obliged to all those organisations for the help that they have given me. They are asking that MLAs support these amendments. Those provisions will have a significant and practical impact by formally recognising how animals are used in coercive control and by strengthening legal protections. The amendments explicitly define harm —. I do not think that we will get to that point. They will extend non-molestation and occupation orders so that courts can prohibit abusers from harming, threatening or interfering with animals and will consider the welfare of animals alongside adults and children when deciding housing and safety orders. I could — I suspect that we all could — give a multitude of examples of this from our constituencies. We all see people daily who we suspect or know are victims of domestic abuse and coercive control. Dealing with those people is really hard. Every one of us as MLAs will give as much support as we possibly can to those people. I know that people, as is human nature, love their animals as they love their children. In many cases, if there are no children in the home, the animal is treated like a child, and it should be in many respects. We know how damaging it can be when a perpetrator who is controlling you at every level and is perpetrating domestic violence against you then threatens your animal. It does not necessarily need to be a cat or a dog or another domestic animal that is a pet. It can be any animal that is under your care, supervision or control. That is why it is so important that this does not just cover pets. We have seen in reports that have been published, even in the past couple of months, that people love their horses. They are involved in sports with horses. Therefore, it is really important that this encapsulates all animals, including farm animals. We know that farmers live daily for their livestock and for their animals. So, if they are threatened in any shape or form, they will do whatever they need to do to ensure the safety of that animal. That is why it is really important that we somehow get this into law so that we recognise that aspect of coercive control and that we legislate for it appropriately after everything that I have said about engagement with the Minister. I was going to get into case studies, but every single one of us will know about it, having seen and heard it for themselves through their constituency work, so I do not think that I need to do so. We know that it is a live issue and problem, and it is up to us to legislate on it. I will talk to amendment No 88 on "Domestic abuse involving threats or harm to animals: amendment of Family Homes and Domestic Violence (Northern Ireland) Order 1998". The Minister is quite right in saying that that does not necessarily fall into her purview or responsibility and that it falls to the Department of Finance in many ways. However, in amendment No 88, I outline all the articles in that Order that, I think, need to be changed in order to recognise in law the animals aspect. Article 11, "Occupation orders where applicant has estate, etc. or has matrimonial home rights", states:

"In deciding whether to exercise its powers ... the court shall have regard to all the circumstances including— (a)the housing needs and housing resources of each of the parties and of any relevant child; (b)the financial resources of each of the parties; (c)the likely effect of any order, or of any decision by the court not to exercise its powers ... on the health, safety or well-being of the parties and of any relevant child".

The amendment would add the wording:

"any animal owned or cared for"

by the applicant or the relevant child. That, too, is important. There must not be a loophole where the victim does not own the animal. It might be owned by a son or daughter. Whilst they might not necessarily be the direct victims of the coercive control, they might well be a victim as a child of the direct victim, and their animals might well be, too. Of course, whether it is you or your child who owns and cares for that animal, you will react in the same way. Article 13, "One former spouse with no existing right to occupy", is the same with regard to an animal, as is article 14, "One cohabitee or former cohabitee with no existing right to occupy". Article 20 states that a "non-molestation order" includes:

"(a) provision prohibiting a person ... from molesting another person who is associated with the respondent; (b) provision prohibiting the respondent from molesting a relevant child".

New paragraph (c) will bring an animal into that. That is really important, and I thank the Minister for acknowledging it. These will be important new laws. The Justice Bill is the vehicle that my party has used to bring in those laws. I joked last Tuesday that I love a good amendment, and that is the case. I think that the Minister would acknowledge that I have exploited that licence to its extreme. I apologise to no one, however, because I am in this place to make good law that will improve our people's lives by protecting them, their children and their animals. I commend the amendments to the House and ask Members to consider supporting them.

1,057 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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