Debate contribution: Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) (No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 19 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) (No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5795405
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I beg to move
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I will not reread the motion that I am about to speak to. I thank the Justice Committee and the Examiner of Statutory Rules for examining the order. Under article 2, courts and statutory tribunals in Northern Ireland can continue to conduct all or part of their business through audio or videoconferencing, known as "live links". Video is the main means of enabling people to take part remotely. These wider provisions and powers sit alongside existing legislation that permits an individual witness or defendant to join by video while other participants are in the courtroom. The extension will maintain access to live links until 24 March 2027 unless the temporary provisions are repealed earlier as part of the move to permanent legislation. Live links remain an essential tool in addressing the backlog in cases accrued during and since the pandemic. The Justice Bill will provide a permanent legislative basis for live links in our courts and tribunals. In previous debates on extensions, Members heard about that work. The Bill completed Consideration Stage on 30 June and is awaiting Further Consideration Stage, so I expect this to be the final extension. The Bill provides for the repeal of the temporary Coronavirus Act 2020 provisions. The intention is for the permanent arrangements to take over when the relevant provisions come into operation. Until those permanent arrangements are in place, this extension will help the justice system to operate effectively and enable more people to access court proceedings remotely. A judge must be satisfied that participation by live link is in the interest of justice. Members have raised understandable concerns about the continued use of emergency legislation. I would prefer to have the permanent arrangements in place, but, for now, I see no practicable alternative to a further temporary extension while we continue to deal with the effects of the pandemic on the justice system. During the pandemic, criminal courts received more cases than they could conclude, leaving a growing number outstanding. Northern Ireland continues to face that backlog as do other parts of the UK. The Department has examined the number of live cases across the system and the time taken to complete cases in court over the past six years. That analysis shows the continuing impact of the pandemic. For example, the number of live Crown Court cases measured from the point at which a person is charged or informed rose from 940 on 1 March 2020 to 2,348 on 1 June 2026, an increase of 149·8%. For adult Magistrates' Court cases measured on the same basis, the number rose from 25,604 on 1 March 2020 to 30,843 on 1 June 2026, an increase of 20·5%. The median time taken to complete a criminal case across all courts from the date an offence was reported until it was dealt with was 209 days in 2025-26. That was 40·3% higher than the 149-day median in 2019-2020. The median reached a high of 226 days for cases dealt with in 2021-22. For cases at court stage, June 2026 management information records 12,656 defendant cases compared with 7,269 in March 2020. Therefore, significant delays remain, so sustained recovery will require further time and resources. Taking account of those statistics, I consider that, while progress is being made, significant delays persist in the Crown Court and Magistrates' Court. Some cases continue to take more than three years to conclude. The pandemic remains a significant contributing factor but is not the only cause of delay. Other factors include limited capacity to increase case throughput, the withdrawal of services by members of the Criminal Bar Association in 2025-26, and wider financial pressures. In that context, the Magistrates' Court and the Crown Court depend on the continuing availability to conduct remote hearings. The roll-out of the justice video platform (JVP) was completed in mid-November 2025 to replace SightLink. The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) reports that approximately 14,000 videoconferencing connections are made each month. Court users continue to support the option of remote participation, particularly those who represent the interests of the victims of crime. For people who prefer not to attend court in person, live links offers that choice where the judge approves it. I consider that that supports the commitments in the Victim Charter. I therefore ask Members to support the motion and approve the order.
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I am grateful to Paul for the views that he has shared, and I thank the Committee for its attention to the matter. I do not intend to drag this out for any longer than is absolutely necessary, so, with that, I conclude my remarks.
783 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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