Debate contribution: Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Connect Project
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 22 October 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Connect Project
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4608402
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The Connect project, which is funded through the Executive programme on tackling paramilitarism and organised crime and led by the Education Authority, provides professionally qualified youth workers, based in two emergency departments, to engage with and support vulnerable young people aged from 15 to 25, who are often hard to reach and vulnerable to harm, when they arrive in emergency departments. An evaluation report, commissioned by the Executive programme on paramilitarism and organised crime, by Queen's University shows that 73% had probable PTSD and depression, over one quarter had been attacked with a weapon, 45% had been threatened by paramilitaries and 36% had been attacked by paramilitaries. On completion of the project, the young people were less likely to attend the ED, engage in unlawful behaviour, be exposed to violence, and screen for probable depression and were more likely to be employed. The report highlights the complex needs of many young people, which, if left unaddressed, can make them more vulnerable to violence and criminal exploitation. It also recognised the potential for this approach to further reduce youth violence and demands on hard-pressed critical care services.
186 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 (0.81).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.98).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.81 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.98 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.02 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.76 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.11 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.07 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.04 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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