Debate contribution: Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland: Resignation
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 9 December 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Question for Urgent Oral Answer
- Heading
- Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland: Resignation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5296515
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The Member will be aware that I did not return to office until February 2024, following the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. I was therefore not in post in September 2023. I first became aware of the matter upon being briefed by my officials on 12 February 2024. For clarity, the Police Ombudsman is independent and appointed as a corporation sole by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of the First Minister and deputy First Minister acting jointly. For further clarity, the Department of Justice is not afforded any specific powers under the terms of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 to act to temporarily suspend or otherwise interfere with the ombudsman's term of office. The legislation is clear that a person may at any time resign the office of ombudsman by notice in writing to His Majesty. For the avoidance of doubt, I say that the then permanent secretary had no vires to accept a resignation from the Police Ombudsman.
I did not deliberately withhold the information in question from the Assembly. It was neither incompetence nor cover-up.
Because it was not relevant to the question that was asked, which was whether the ombudsman should step aside. By the time I came to the House, it had been made clear to the ombudsman that the resignation that was tendered prior to me taking up office was not tendered to the appropriate person and was then withdrawn. The question was whether she should step aside, and I made it clear then, as I do now, that the Department of Justice has no role to ask the ombudsman to retire early or to step aside. It is for the Executive Office to deal with matters pertaining to the Police Ombudsman and her employment, and I have made that clear every time that I have been brought to the Chamber to answer these questions.
316 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: 0.05 (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).
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.49 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | 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 | 0.82 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.17 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:09 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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