Debate contribution: Crown Court Cases
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
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Crown Court Cases
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5795770
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As I said, listing lies with the judiciary. Many factors affect listing, not all of which lie within my Department. As you know, we have the speeding up justice programme, which is there to try to ensure that the time that is taken from first charge to the case being disposed of in court is reduced. That work is ongoing. We have targets for how quickly we want that to be done. However, we have not set targets for dealing with the backlog because, again, it is very difficult for us to do so against the backdrop of the backlog that accumulated during COVID and the significant uptick in court business during that period and the backlog that is, obviously, a result of the CBA withdrawal. Needless to say, those cases with the most vulnerable victims and witnesses are the ones that are being prioritised.
145 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Awaiting analysis
This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.