Debate contribution: Criminal Barristers: Withdrawal of Services
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 30 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Criminal Barristers: Withdrawal of Services
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5653183
Read the official Assembly record
Text
In answer to the first question, we invested additional money in Victim Support NI and other support services so that people who needed particular support during the suspension of court processes could benefit from that. Hopefully, those services will also be able to support people through this period. I encourage anyone who is awaiting information on listing to contact the PPS and Victim Support, because both are a good point of contact. Victims will potentially also have a PSNI family liaison officer who will be able to keep them abreast of developments. Hopefully, between that and the wider approach that the judiciary is taking, some certainty will be brought to what will happen. On the wider issue of ensuring that a withdrawal of services never happens again, I think that most of us agree that, although everyone has the right to take industrial action, no one has the right to derail and hold to ransom the entire justice system in that way. The withdrawal has been incredibly damaging to victims and witnesses, and, ultimately, justice delayed is justice denied for many people. It is therefore important that we find ways of ensuring that a range of options for advocacy is available in Northern Ireland so that we do not find ourselves in that situation again, should the criminal Bar decide to withdraw its services again in future. We are still in the early stages of looking at those options, but there is already provision for, for example, solicitor advocates to work in some of the higher courts. That is something on which we can work with the Law Society of Northern Ireland and others to expand further, as it may provide the system with some more stability, as opposed to where we are at at this time.
297 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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