Written question AQW 49064/22-27
Written question by Mr Matthew O'Toole on .
- MLA
- Mr Matthew O'Toole
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 18 June 2026
- Type
- Written question
- Assembly reference
- AQW 49064/22-27
- Department
- Department of Justice
- Business
- To the Minister of Justice
- Assembly identifier
- Document 491219
Read the official Assembly record Open Data source
Text
To ask the Minister of Justice whether she has had any engagement with the police or other statutory agencies, regarding the application of Section 233 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, in relation to the removal of articles displaying support of proscribed organisation, specifically regarding paramilitary flag displays.
49 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: 0.19 (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 (0.75).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.63).
- Subject area: Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
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 | 0.07 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.17 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.13 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.15 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.75 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.19 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.63 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.22 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.03 |
| Adopts it | 0.12 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.58 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.40 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 07:18 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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