Debate contribution: Hunting with Dogs Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Mr Jonathan Buckley on .
- MLA
- Mr Jonathan Buckley
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 26 May 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Hunting with Dogs Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5583037
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding by the Member who tabled the Bill? In an earlier comment, he referred to the word "pack" as being in the Bill. No such word appears in the Bill. Does he also agree that it is the broad definition and terms that the Member has outlined, particularly the broad definition of hunting activity, that mean that the very instances that he has outlined will capture a far greater extent, whether that be dog walkers, those who have a gun and a dog or those who have a couple of terriers, springer spaniels or cocker spaniels? It is so vast that they will naturally fall under the catchment of the Bill. It is one of two things: it is either broad because it does not know what exactly its intent is, or, perhaps, it is more sinister and is designed in such a way as to encapsulate those people.
Will the Member give way?
I thank the Member. For clarity of the record, the word "pack" is in the Bill at line 35. I will be honest in the debate. I just hope that others will be too.
205 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: 0.10 (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 (0.80).
- 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 | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.04 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.11 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.11 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.80 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.10 | 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 | 0.87 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.12 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:41 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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