Debate contribution: Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Mr Paul Frew on .
- MLA
- Mr Paul Frew
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 15 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5707111
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for his intervention. I will certainly get onto the suppression piece, because it alarms me, too. We could walk through the Bill tonight and be given some assurances and safeguards by the Bill sponsor as we do so, but the fundamental shape of the Bill means that it is beyond rescue. I will get into that in a moment. When the Bill talks about "conversion therapy", it is not talking about conversion therapy as we would have talked about it a week, month or year ago. We are talking about "conversion therapy" as defined by the Bill sponsor. By his own admission, he thinks that "conversion therapy" really means things that are "therapeutic". I accept that. Let me tell the House that I believe that all talking is therapeutic and all coaching is therapeutic, including sports coaching. Young people grow up, and it is a good thing that they go into sport. It is therapeutic. It gives them exercise and helps their mental health. It could be boxing, football, GAA, netball or anything. I believe that the Bill sponsor's definition of "conversion therapy" encapsulates sports coaches. I also think that, when it comes to "instruction", a parent or grandparent's advice is therapeutic.
I will.
It might not be, and the coach might not acknowledge that he is doing that, but it is about what the victim considers it to be. It will be what the person considers it to be. There are real harms and dangers to do with that.
Yes.
I thank both Members for their interventions, which have added to the debate. Throughout the world, we have seen campaigners and actors going into the other gender's sports fields, and there has been massive controversy around that. I would add health matters to that. That is where "coaching" comes in. If a coach tries to suppress someone by preventing them from playing a sport, they will fall foul of the Bill.
Yes, I will.
I thank the Member for her intervention, but the Bill says "coaching". That is what it says.
I will in a wee minute. If someone were to approach the Member as a coach, how would she deal with that?
The Bill sponsor wanted to come in.
375 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.42 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.74).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.59).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was low and the text did not adopt any identity-based framing.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.18 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.15 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.07 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.44 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.33 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.74 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.42 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.59 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.21 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it | 0.19 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.99 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:22 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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