Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
It may what the public want to hear, but my duty is not to be a people pleaser. My duty is to uphold the best policies and guidance to ensure the safety and dignity of everyone who is committed to our care in the prisons. I will be informed by the Equality Commission, when it has had an opportunity to reflect on the…
It is important for the public, and relevant for them, to seek clarity on the matter. This is not to dismiss the needs of trans people and seeing what is appropriate for them, but does the Minister also recognise her responsibility to respect and protect single-sex spaces, particularly for women? In light of the…
I have already set out what the judgement does and does not do. It also says that you cannot deny trans people rights of access to basic facilities on the basis that they cannot use the male or the female facilities that are available. The judgement and the Supreme Court were quite clear that this should not, as,…
It is very clear under Standing Order 19 that Members are not permitted ask a Minister for an opinion. They can ask for an assessment but not an opinion. Let me be clear: the Member asks the question, but the Minister decides what the answer will be, and I will not be confined by Members to saying yes or no. Where the…
I am glad that the Minister is in the form to clear the air. The Minister, her Department and her party seem to also have conflicting views on common sense where the Supreme Court judgement that ruled on women and biological sex is concerned. Therefore, on policing practice, does the Minister agree that biological men…
First, I come to the Chamber to answer questions as Minister of Justice, not as leader of the Alliance Party. If the Member wishes to speak to me as leader of the Alliance Party after Question Time, he is, of course, at liberty to do so. However, in my role as Minister of Justice and as leader of the Alliance Party,…
It is not for me to call for public inquiries at this time. There has been an extensive investigation by the Police Ombudsman. It is important that we take the time to read that report, reflect on it and then look carefully at what might be gained by further investigation and work in that space. If there are gaps in…
I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, I encourage you to contact Alan Black to share with him those warm words about him. Will you commit to petitioning the Secretary of State to launch a public inquiry into the Kingsmills massacre to reassure victims that there is no hierarchy of victims?
On the day on which the Kingsmills report has been published, my immediate thoughts are with Alan Black and his family. What he suffered is unimaginable. Everyone should take time to reflect not only on the totality of the ombudsman's report but on the dire injuries that he sustained in that attack and the trauma that…
I am delighted to say that the CAMHS partnership between the Youth Justice Agency and Health and Social Care has now been rolled out across Northern Ireland. I have been able to prioritise £155,000 from within the Department's budget to support it this year, with the rest coming from the Youth Justice Agency's budget…
The Department, together with the Northern Ireland Policing Board, provides operational funding of about £4·25 million to PCSPs. They play a key role in our operational response to identify and help to address local community safety concerns, including rural crime. In the action plan this year, Lisburn and Castlereagh…
It is not directly linked to rural crime, but I welcome the opportunity to be clear about it. A number of areas need to be looked at. The ombudsman's office is looking at abuse of power as a theme. You will be aware from the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland report of the work that has already been done in…
Last week, Yvette Cooper announced police vetting reforms to boost officer standards and improve confidence in policing around issues of misconduct and sexual offences, for example. Is the Minister minded to look at the vetting procedures here?
The Member is correct that, when people know that a house is empty, there is an increased tendency for burglary. We see similar patterns before Christmas, when people know that people are storing Christmas presents. It is an opportunistic way of breaking into homes at that time. Through PCSPs and the police, there are…
I thank the Minister for her answer. I will not take the ball that wants to be hit there and go full Father Ted, because it is an important topic. Since I tabled the question, there have been a number of break-ins and burglaries in Lagan Valley in and around Hillsborough. I also know that it is a seasonal occurrence.…
The allocation of policing resources in Lagan Valley is entirely a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board.?I hope that Mr O'Toole is listening, because he missed this earlier. I am committed to respecting the operational responsibility of the Chief Constable and the…
The plan is that, when we get the post-project evaluation reports, we will see where, we feel, further roll-out, for example, might be appropriate. Such things, as the Member will appreciate, depend entirely on having the resources available to do them, but, when we looked at how the projects work, we were robust in…
When strategies come into place, the allocation of budget is absolutely critical, and the domestic abuse strategy is a clear example of that. Will the Minister provide a bit more detail on the £300,000 for 14 projects, which are most welcome? What is her estimate of the value of rolling forward the scheme? How long…
Organisations across all regions of Northern Ireland have benefited from the support provided through the scheme. The initiatives have wide-ranging impacts, as I have set out, and offer vital assistance to men, women and children who are affected by domestic and sexual abuse. The scheme has enabled some front-line…
I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, you stated that you were able to fund 14 initiatives. I am aware that one of those — the Family First programme — supports people in my constituency. Are you able to say a bit more about the services that can be provided by that scheme?
Following publication of the new seven-year domestic and sexual abuse strategy in September 2025, the Health Minister and I launched a small grants scheme that offered voluntary and community sector organisations the opportunity to apply for funding to support new ideas and initiatives that aligned with the key…
When the Northern Ireland Audit Office looks at any organisation, it is important that we take time to learn the lessons from its report. I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General and her staff for the report. The Northern Ireland Policing Board is, as you say, responsible for securing the maintenance of an…
Future-proofing the PSNI is important. That can also come about as a result of efficiency in its spend. It is not just about resources; it is also about capital. I am a member of the Policing Board, which looks into these matters closely. What is the Minister's assessment of the NI Audit Office's (NIAO) recent report…
There are a couple of things in that. First, they are not operational matters for the PSNI; they are funding issues, which are within my bailiwick. If Members ask the right questions, they will get fulsome answers on any occasion. I am more than happy to give fulsome answers where it is within my vires to do so. The…