Debate contribution: Penalty Notices
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 16 September 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Penalty Notices
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5111236
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Proposals to extend the use of penalty notices, which were provided for in the Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, are a significant element of the out-of-court disposals work stream of the speeding up justice programme. That programme seeks to minimise avoidable delay in the criminal justice system, will be a key tool in reducing demand on the formal system from lower-level offending and will help to redirect scarce resources to more serious offences, such as serious sexual offences. That work is part of my Department's wider Programme for Government commitments to explore options for expanding out of-court disposals. The Criminal Justice Board, on which I, as Justice Minister, the Lady Chief Justice, the Chief Constable and the Director of Public Prosecutions sit, along with other senior justice leaders, agreed to consult on proposals to secure views to inform policy development. The Police Service of Northern Ireland presently has the power to issue a penalty notice for a number of public-order-related offences, such as indecent behaviour, criminal damage, disorderly behaviour, and resisting, obstructing or impeding police. A working group led by the PSNI, with representatives from my Department, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and the NI Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS), identified a number of offences that may be suitable to be included within the penalty notice arrangements, insofar as the specific offending in each case is of a suitably low level. Those proposals are being taken forward through a departmental consultation exercise, as is normal process. Penalty notices will not be suitable for all cases involving those offences on which the Department is consulting. Most cases, due to their nature, will continue to be prosecuted at court, and it is my intention to increase the maximum sentence available for some of the offences at the more serious end of the spectrum. However, for cases at the very lowest end of the offending spectrum, penalty notices offer a flexible alternative to prosecution and help to resolve cases more quickly, thus reducing pressure on police, prosecutors and the courts, which would allow more serious offending to be targeted.
The consultation on the expansion of out-of-court disposals is due to run until 28 September. I will carefully consider responses before bringing forward any firm proposals.
372 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: 0.02 (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 (0.71).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- 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 | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.71 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | 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 |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.97 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.03 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:13 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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