Debate contribution: Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2024-2031

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 14 October 2024.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

14 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Question for Urgent Oral Answer

Heading

Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2024-2031

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4590131

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The sentencing framework for crimes is a matter that is often discussed, and I know that it is reviewed in many instances. It has to be taken into account. You mention children and young people, and it is about ensuring that we support them, because they are often the most significant victims and live with it for the rest of their life. We need to ensure that we are supporting them, and that is why it is important that the Department of Justice work with the Department of Health and the Department of Education. Further linkages have been established in recent times. As a member of a board of governors, I know that phone calls are often received to the school the night before so that the school is then aware that there are issues at home.

I thank the Member for her question. There is always scope to do things better. It is one of the issues with the constrained mandate that we have left for legislative reform. We lost two years, and we are now working through the rest of the mandate. That is why it is important that, when we are introducing legislation, we ensure that it is properly scrutinised and given proper consideration and that we are able to make it progress through the Assembly so that we can deliver for the victims in Northern Ireland.

I am hesitant to talk about individual cases, particularly the Mary Ward case, because it is currently in the criminal justice system. Every situation that we hear about is of massive concern, not only to me but to everyone in the Chamber. That is why I am glad that we are able to agree such strategies. We have a collective role to play in challenging some of the misogynistic attitudes in society and in encouraging people to make a report to the police at the earliest opportunity. I could give examples but will not do so of many cases in which the police were being contacted a number of years into a very violent relationship, and sometimes, unfortunately, that was too late.

The Member highlights the funding challenges that we as an Executive face. She also highlights the need to be able to support organisations such as the one that she mentioned and to do much more than that in the community and voluntary sector in order to provide the necessary assistance. In the circumstances in my family, Women's Aid was excellent in the support that it gave. That is why it is important that we work with the Finance Minister on the financial settlement that we get for Northern Ireland. Our departmental budgets are not sufficient, and we are not able to deliver the services that we ought to be delivering across Northern Ireland. I will bring the issues that the Member has raised with me to the Justice Minister.

The issue is too serious to drag it into that. The collective issue for the Executive is the budgets that we have and how we can fund our public services. We need to work on that issue with the UK Government to ensure that we can fund not just the Police Service but the community and voluntary organisations that we have mentioned and our criminal justice system. I will say no more. As someone who saw his mother being a victim of domestic abuse, my focus is on the victims today.

The Member raises a legitimate point. A challenge for us with regard to budgets for the next financial year is how we can support and deliver those services across Northern Ireland. There is a collective will here, so let us ensure that we can work together. A strong message should be sent that this is entirely wrong and is a concern for us. We should support people in need.

I will touch on the issue of prevention. We need to get to a situation where it does not occur and no one is subjected to domestic or sexual abuse. That is about support for the police, which we need to work collectively on, but also about wider society. It is also partly about attitudes. People need to be conscious of what they say and what they post on social media about women and girls in Northern Ireland. We need to draw a line under that and ensure that we all stand together in saying that some of the attitudes that have been expressed are entirely unacceptable.

748 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:20 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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