Debate contribution: Courts: Gillen Review
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 17 June 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Courts: Gillen Review
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4496531
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I remain fully committed to the full implementation of the Gillen review. It is a transformational programme, but it requires a collaborative approach across other Departments, statutory agencies and third-sector organisations. Some work streams — for example, those related to relationships and sexuality education — fall to the Minister of Education to progress. We have made good progress, with 76% of recommendations having been implemented to some degree and 62% fully completed. A further 14% are partially completed, and that is usually in the form of a pilot. While it is useful to note the number of completed recommendations, it is equally important to note the measures and services introduced as part of the implementation programme that are making a real-life difference to victims. Access to free legal advice, which we discussed in response to Ms Cara Hunter's question, is hugely important to people. Many people are now able to give evidence from remote evidence centres away from court and are therefore much more likely to attend their court hearings and not be intimidated away from doing so. Members of the public can no longer be in a courtroom during a trial. Complainants are no longer required to give oral evidence at a committal hearing, forcing them to give evidence about the most traumatic moment in their life twice. Across the criminal justice system, professionals have better access to training so that they can understand and deal sensitively with the trauma that complainants have suffered. It is hugely important that we continue that work.
254 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: 0.03 (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 (0.86).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.86 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.56 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.21 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.15 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.07 |
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:44 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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