Debate contribution: Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Spring Supplementary Estimates 2023-24 and Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Estimates: Vote On Account 2024-25
Debate contribution by Mr Stewart Dickson on .
- MLA
- Mr Stewart Dickson
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 9 April 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Spring Supplementary Estimates 2023-24 and Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Estimates: Vote On Account 2024-25
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4482185
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I speak not only as justice spokesperson for the Alliance Party but as an East Antrim MLA and a member of the Justice Committee. The past year has presented unprecedented challenges for the Department of Justice, making it one of the most difficult periods of its recent history. While I welcome the announcement of security funding and funding for the tackling paramilitarism programme, it rather pales into insignificance when compared with the underfunding that our justice system faces on all fronts. The stark reality is that our justice system is teetering on the brink. Despite the efforts of Ministers past and present, the unprecedented cost-saving efficiencies delivered by officials, which were further impacted by the demands of the Department of Finance and the Secretary of State, coupled with the shameful failure of those who brought down the Assembly for the past two years, mean that there is simply no financial room left. Since the devolution of justice powers, there has been a glaring disparity in the allocation of funding. While the Department of Health's budget has surged by 68% and that of Education by over 35%, Justice has been left behind with a meagre 3% increase that, amid escalating demands across the board, from policing and legal aid to prisons and youth justice, the impacts of new and important laws, coupled with inflationary pressures, has the potential to cause effects that will be felt at every corner of society that is impacted by our justice and police systems. The Department's budget is stretched thin. It is consumed almost entirely by staff costs and statutory commitments, which relegate discretionary spending to less than 1%. Over the past decade, the Department has been squeezed tighter and forced to do more with less until, now, there is simply nothing left to trim. The growth of our prison population, which has seen a 30% increase since January 2021, has further strained our facilities to breaking point. That spike, driven by judicial delays and backlogs exacerbated by the pandemic, necessitates not only the doubling up of prisoners in cells but the reopening of outdated facilities, which, in turn, require more staff. That pressure-cooker environment jeopardises the stability of our prison system and the success of rehabilitation and resettlement programmes. I am keen to delve into those cornerstones of public safety in the future in the Justice Committee. The ripple effect extends to legal aid, a cornerstone of access to justice, yet, again, one that is chronically underfunded. The systemic underfunding and resultant delays corrode the very foundation of our justice delivery, affecting legal professionals and, ultimately, the timely and proper delivery for all. Furthermore, it is crucial to recognise the demand-led nature of our justice system. Unlike in other services, we cannot predict who comes in or why. Often, those who enter the justice system have slipped through the nets of other support services, such as family support services and education, especially in cases of mental health issues or substance abuse. I have seen recently at first hand on a number of prison visits the shocking failure of those services and the impact that that has on the lives of people who would otherwise never be in prison. Our Department of Justice acts as the ultimate safety net, and this situation therefore demands from the Department of Finance a budget that is not only sufficient but forward-thinking and ready to tackle the issues directly. In closing, the erosion of the Justice budget to funnel resources elsewhere poses grave risks. The services delivered by the Department of Justice are not merely line items but the bedrock of public protection: from community safety to policing and from our Courts and Tribunals Service and all the many and varied roles and responsibilities of the Department of Justice. While today's debate is about looking back on the finance of the Department, without a significant realignment of the Justice budget to reflect its critical needs, we will face, and we stand to face, profound consequences.
665 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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