Debate contribution: Criminal Justice System: Failure to Transform

Debate contribution by Ms Connie Egan on 6 October 2025.

MLA

Ms Connie Egan

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

6 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Criminal Justice System: Failure to Transform

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5157454

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Shared goals and a shared vision across all criminal justice agencies is essential for delivering effective public services and building safer communities in Northern Ireland. Any transformation or change to our criminal justice system must have the needs of victims and the public at its heart. That is how we will ensure full confidence and trust in the system for years to come. I and my party sympathise with the elements of the motion that embody that perspective. However, Alliance is not in a position to support the motion as it stands. It does not encapsulate the full picture of progress at hand. A motion entitled "Failure to Transform the Criminal Justice System" is one that focuses on blame rather than on the real-time progress that is being made. Inspections are about continuous progress and improvement and building on the learnings of the past to ensure a better future. That was emphasised by the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice when I met her earlier this year. The work that her office completes is vital for proper assurance for the systems that govern criminal justice. The CJI report that the motion references intends to provide a high-level strategic overview of transformation work across the criminal justice system. Its publication was welcomed across the spectrum of parties in the Assembly, including my party, Alliance. It also reiterates what so many of us already know, namely that silo working across government or partners of government can contribute to problems with its effective functioning. Justice agencies that are unable to be consistently funded to the level of actual need can create delays and long-lasting damage that cannot be undone in one Budget cycle. The report also shone a light on examples of where collaboration and shared goals have persisted and where improvement has occurred: for example, modernising systems through impactful digital platforms or the transitioning to the youth justice strategy. Following the publication of the Criminal Justice Inspection's report, it is on public record that the Minister and her officials carefully considered the recommendations and, in May this year, accepted the strategic recommendation that iterated the need for shared strategic priorities across the criminal justice sector. That acceptance shows the Minister's willingness to reflect on the expertise and findings of the inspector and shows her Department's dedication to delivering real transformation. The Minister is also on public record on numerous instances stating that the work is under way and will be shared when complete. However, that work can take time, particularly when it involves consultation with operationally independent bodies that have competing work priorities, all with their own needs and budgetary asks. Whilst it is work in progress, good work is being done.

As it stands, the Criminal Justice Board is brought together by terms of reference rather than through a specific, shared vision piece as the report recommended. Therefore, whilst it does not have executive decision-making powers, it has an excellent foundation of positive relationships between senior leaders across justice agencies. Their openness to collaboration with each other and with the DOJ has resulted in action where cross-system response is most needed. A particular example is the Department's work on speeding up justice, as in the Programme for Government, to enable efficiency and deal with the delays that the motion mentions. The report also outlines some of the difficulties that the criminal justice system has experienced since the devolution of policing and justice, none of which should sound particularly unfamiliar to any of us. Some of those noted include Executive collapse, which resulted in gaps with no ministerial leadership; the Department of Justice's historically lacking budgetary position; and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. What do all those difficulties have in common? It is that they also rely on the actions and agency of other political parties across the Chamber. The motion seems to neglect that. If we really want to commit, as an Assembly, to transforming the criminal justice system, there should be a commitment to staying in government to give all this work the best chance at success. I want to be clear. The motion does not come across as a criticism of the Justice Minister or the Department of Justice as a whole, but in fact of all justice agencies that sit on the Criminal Justice Board. It neglects the specific progress that has been made, as referenced in the report, or others, including the unannounced inspection of Hydebank Wood Secure College, which was published in the same month and highlighted Hydebank as "an impressive institution". I do not accept that the report is damning, as the proposer puts forward. As such, Alliance will not vote in favour of the motion.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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