Debate contribution: Access to Justice and Legal Services in Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Debate contribution by Ms Connie Egan on .
- MLA
- Ms Connie Egan
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 24 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- Access to Justice and Legal Services in Fermanagh and South Tyrone
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5047861
Read the official Assembly record
Text
On behalf of the Alliance Party, I will contribute some short remarks on access to justice and legal services in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Obviously, I am not an MLA for that area, but, as a member of the Justice Committee, I recognise how important that issue is. I thank Diana Armstrong for securing the debate this evening, putting a spotlight on these issues and highlighting the importance of high-quality legal and justice-related provision across Northern Ireland. It is imperative that, no matter where you live, you are able to access legal support in a timely and sensitive manner. The Department of Justice is taking welcome steps to increase that access through a package of reforms, including the adjustment of mileage rates for legal aid practitioners, working with the legal profession to ensure its attractiveness to young professionals and reviewing legal aid remuneration. That work is needed across Northern Ireland. What threatens the Justice Minister's ambitious vision for the justice system, however, is a lack of funds to make it all happen. As a proportion of the block grant, the Department of Justice's allocation is now less than it was in 2011. Although this year's Budget allocation was welcome, it needs to be sustained and consistently increased over the coming years so that a real impact can be made. Access to justice needs to be viewed as part of our social security network. I am particularly concerned about the practicalities of victims and survivors of domestic abuse being able to seek support, legal advice and representation in order to safely disengage from harmful relationships and continue to be safe after that initial breakaway. For some victims and survivors, that step would not be possible without local support in accessing an incredibly intensive string of protective orders or restraining procedures to establish child custody and residency. Travelling hours at a time for that support is costly, both in money and time. The rurality of Fermanagh and South Tyrone deepens the intensity of the gap in access to justice provision compared with more urban areas. The lack of connectivity in the area due to the restricted availability of public transport services plays a role there, and I note the concerns that have been raised by the local MLAs about custody suites. I hope that they will get some reassurance from the PSNI on that, as I know that the Minister will not be able to speak on behalf of the PSNI. That highlights the role that other Departments and agencies have in ensuring access to justice in our society. Alliance is committed to working with everyone across the Chamber and beyond to resolve these issues. Accessing legal services and any other essential service in Northern Ireland should not be a postcode lottery.
460 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 (0.95).
- 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 | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.95 | 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 | 0.55 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.25 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.18 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.01 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:56 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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