Debate contribution: Criminal Justice System: Failure to Transform

Debate contribution by Mr Matthew O'Toole on 6 October 2025.

MLA

Mr Matthew O'Toole

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

6 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Criminal Justice System: Failure to Transform

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5157553

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I will try to speak briefly to the motion. As my colleague Patsy McGlone said, the SDLP will support it. My party does not agree with the DUP all too often, but it is a totally reasonable motion. The point of its being reasonable is made ever so starkly obvious by what, it has to be said, has been, frankly, an intemperate response from members of the Alliance Party to a reasonable motion. We just heard the spokesperson from the Alliance Party referring to something called "my Minister". We were told about "my Minister". I did not realise that, when the Justice Minister took the Pledge of Office, she was pledging to be their Minister. They have all come here to —.

I will give way in one second. They have all come here to do justice to their master's voice. It is a completely ridiculous way, frankly, to do government and politics. The motion —.

Sorry: I am in the middle of my speech. Do you want an intervention? OK.

First — I am not in the Chair — I am sure that that was not a point of order, but the Member is entitled to stand up and make it. The Alliance Party has demanded, effectively, the privatisation of the Justice Ministry for the past decade and a half while devolution has been in operation. Sorry: I am afraid that that is a fact.

It is a fact. It was funny to hear Alliance members stand up and talk about —.

I have, actually, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I will not challenge your ruling. What I will say is this: the Criminal Justice Inspection report came out in November 2024. It was clear that it wanted a vision document published within six months. That is at the heart of the motion. That has not yet been published. A written answer was given to Miss McIlveen, a DUP Member, just a couple of weeks ago. It was a long answer, but it offered no clarity on when that vision would be published. That is why the motion is here today, and I recognise that there are certain Members in the Chamber who do not like accountability. We as the Opposition do accountability without fear or favour, and it has to be said that Members from across the Chamber have simply asked today for accountability on a vital matter of criminal justice policy. It is true to say that, since the devolution of policing and justice 15 years ago, there are real structural problems that have not been resolved and, in many cases, have got worse. Mr Kingston referred to the time that it takes to get through Crown Court cases. The most famous aphorism of all is that justice delayed is justice denied. When Crown Court cases take twice the length of time of those in other parts of the UK, that is a fundamental structural problem in our criminal justice system. It is why we need to see a response from the Department and clarity. I acknowledge that it is cross-cutting and that it involves other Departments and Ministers from other Departments supporting the Justice Minister. That is, why, frankly, I was pointing out that it was so absurd to hear phrases such as "my Minister" when you are, on the other hand, calling for cooperation.

I will take a point briefly in the spirit of constructive debate.

I am delighted that my social media content is so popular. We will move on from that point and go back to the main thrust of the motion, which is about criminal justice. I mentioned the delay in Crown Court cases, and there is also the matter of reoffending rates. I can genuinely say that the Justice Minister and her party are committed to rehabilitation and to reducing reoffending. I think that they are. Our reoffending rates are not coming down. Adult reoffending rates are actually slightly up from where they were when justice was devolved. I think that youth reoffending rates are slightly down. Those are things that we are entitled to hold the Minister accountable for. Given that, for the whole time that policing and justice has been devolved, in large part one party has held that post when devolution has been in operation, it is not churlish or unreasonable to ask for accountability on that, specifically when that transformation report called for it within six months and that was nine months ago. It is a fair point, made by Alliance Members, that the DUP, as always, and, indeed, Sinn Féin talk about delivery on these things and then collapse the institutions. That is why I want to see reform of the institutions. I share that with the Alliance Party. Last February, that should have been —.

I am afraid I do not have time to take an intervention. That is why it should have been a priority for the Alliance Party when it went back into the Executive. It appears that it was not, but I am sure that it can account for that. I share with others in the Chamber a desire to see the justice system improved and what was called for in the CJINI report reflected on. That is why we support the motion, and I hope that it can be taken forward in a constructive spirit.

893 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.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification