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.
The use of stop-and-search is entirely an operational matter for the Chief Constable, and it is one on which he is answerable to the Policing Board. It is not part of the strategic framework for policing in Northern Ireland, nor is it part of the long-term objectives. We all recognise that there are, of course,…
I agree that justice should be blind, but it is not always. It is also concerning that those from a Catholic/nationalist background are twice as likely to be stopped and searched as those from a Protestant/unionist background. Will the Minister explain, in addition to her previous answer, why that is? Given that she…
When you look at figures such as those, it is easy to make presumptions about why they are as they are. We know, for example — the Member is very vocal on this — that offending behaviours are often linked to deprivation. We also know that many parts of the community that are nominally Catholic tend to have higher…
As the member will know, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI), in its recent inspection report on policing, raised the issue of the abstraction of neighbourhood officers from their routine duties in communities in order to take on other roles at key times. That is an almost inevitable consequence of…
Some of that approach to policing is undertaken by some very good neighbourhood policing teams. Among the frustrations fed back to me, and, I am sure, to you, by the community is that officer rotations happen all too frequently and, at times, when the trust that makes relationships possible has just been built. Is…
I am happy to meet the Member to discuss any specific issues in the east Belfast area. I am conscious that, across the city, there have been a number of disturbances at interfaces. Not all of those have been the normal interface disputes. Some have been due to roving gangs of young people who assemble around the…
I can. I visited Magilligan on Friday. The prison has created a native tree nursery. It is nationally important for biosecurity, as it is only the second such location on the island of Ireland to grow native trees. They have planted and nurtured 40,000 native tree saplings — everything from Scots pine to oak, chestnut…
I thank the Minister for her response. It is encouraging to hear about how our prisons can play a key role in tackling climate change and in supporting our environment. Can the Minister expand a little bit on the tree nursery at Magilligan?
The Prison Service has demonstrated a real commitment to delivering on a wide range of sustainability and climate initiatives. It has progressed a wide range of energy-efficiency measures over a number of years that has seen it reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by an impressive 44% from a 2016 baseline. That has…
I can give the Member my assurance that no sensitive information has been able to be accessed at any time. I can give that assurance not because I am assured about access to the building but because I am assured about access to the information, how it is held within the building and how it has been secured. We are…
I thank the Minister for her answer. The Minister referred to the period since the building became defunct. Will she outline at what point security was put on the building? It is my understanding that, certainly from December until March of this year, there was no security and that previous access may well have…
There have been a number of such incidents, including unauthorised access to Dundonald House, which began on Sunday 16 March. The apparent intent has been to create social media content about the building and its environs. However, the individuals concerned have also engaged in destructive and antisocial behaviour.…
It is entirely appropriate that we use whatever evidence we have from any reports that we have developed. That is a given. However, as I said to the Member, I do not have a publication date, so I will have to respond to him in writing.
Minister, your Department has been either unable or unwilling to confirm a timeline for the publication of those reports. Will you do so now, and will you advise on whether it is proper for those reports to be used as evidence by your Department without their being made available to the Assembly?
I cannot answer that question today as I do not have the details at my fingertips. I am happy to write to the Member with the details that he has requested.
The sexual offences legal adviser scheme has had, and continues to have, an overwhelmingly positive impact for victims in serious sexual offence cases. The SOLA service, which is funded by my Department and delivered by solicitors who are employed by Victim Support NI, has provided free, independent legal advice to…
What I said was that the remainder of the Bar had not taken action in response to the 16% offer and that we had applied it across all sections of the Bar. Remember that the 16% was originally recommended only for the criminal Bar. I made the decision to do the uplift across the entire Bar to ensure that all parts were…
Will the Minister explain why she told the Justice Committee that the Family Bar Association was happy with a 16% fee increase before the Family Bar Association had submitted its views on the issue via the consultation that is ongoing and without her ever having met the family Bar to discuss the issue?
Those affected by the action are the victims and witnesses, who will have been readying themselves to give evidence and hoping that their journey is near an end. They will now need to wait longer for justice. Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to meet the victim and witness care unit in the Public…
There have been meetings between my officials and the Bar. I have not met the Bar, because I believe that the discussions should now happen through the working group. It is important that the evidence base goes through the working group and that that group then produces its report. As you are aware, the issues that I…
I very much recognise the vulnerability. That is one of the reasons why I was very keen, in the interim, to find some kind of derogation for the most serious and severe cases where the harm was likely to be greatest. I am glad to say that there has been some progress on that. It is an improved position over where we…
I thank the Minister for her answer. I appreciate that it is only two or three weeks since we last discussed the matter in the Chamber, but what more can the Minister do to achieve a resolution, given that the clients who are suffering from the current boycott are among the most vulnerable?
Engagement with the legal professions and other stakeholders has been ongoing since the launch of the programme. The substantial 16% uplift in fees that I am implementing is based on the recommendations of the independent fundamental review of criminal legal aid, which was informed by 10 months of engagement with, and…