Debate contribution: Prison Service: Risk Management
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 19 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Prison Service: Risk Management
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5795868
Read the official Assembly record
Text
There are two separate parts to that. The first is about the concerns that have been raised regarding compassionate temporary release. The Member will be aware that I have launched a review of our arrangements for compassionate temporary release. I await the findings of that. I met the reviewer, Phil Copple, last week to get an interim update while he moves towards preparing his report. That should be ready within weeks, so hopefully we will be in a much better situation then. I want to make sure, however, that we go back to the family that was particularly affected by the most recent case before the report is published, so that they are aware of what has been recommended. The second issue is resources in prisons. I have been clear that we do not have the resources that we need in our prisons. We do not have sufficient accommodation: all our accommodation is used up, and we are managing very tight arrangements in the prison system. Whilst we are still recruiting prisoner officers, we suffer the same stresses and strains as any other Department when it comes to these issues. Without doubt, the justice system has been underfunded. For example, the fact that in Magilligan we still have people who are using 1940s Nissen huts for accommodation speaks to the fact that investment in the prison system — both capital and resource — is needed. That is what I am fighting for. We will see what happens.
247 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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