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First, we have to make sure that those courthouses are accessible in the most basic sense, and many of them, unfortunately, are not fit for purpose. Many of the protections that we would wish to put in place — for example, for vulnerable victims and witnesses — are not possible, because everyone enters through the one…
I thank the Minister for that answer. My biggest concern for courthouses across Northern Ireland is primarily access to justice, but also the impact on rural areas of removing courthouses. As part of the review, will the Minister look at an impact assessment to ensure that we take into account all the aspects of why…
Limavady courthouse has been closed since March 2020, with its business currently transferred to Coleraine. Prior to the building's closure, it operated as a hearing centre and was open one day a week for the delivery of Magistrates’ Court business. The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service's (NICTS) estate…
The terms of reference cover all the key issues and the key Departments that we anticipate will have some input to make. However, they also give the independent reviewer scope to pursue whatever fields of enquiry are, she believes, relevant, and that will include any engagement with other trusts, hospitals and…
I thank the Minister for her answer and welcome the publication of the terms of reference last week. It is a very positive opportunity to learn from missed opportunities in the past. On the partners to be involved, can the Minister confirm whether there is scope to include trusts other than the Western Trust? We now…
To be clear, it will not be only the actions and interventions of the PSNI that will be considered. There was a range of opportunities across a range of statutory agencies, where earlier intervention may have made a difference to the outcome. None of us can say, with confidence, whether it would or would not have.…
Thank you, Minister, I really welcome that progress. There were so many missed opportunities that, if taken, literally could have saved Katie Simpson's life. Does the Minister agree that that important piece of work should not limit its learnings to that tragic case but should export them across every incident and…
I published the terms of reference for the review of the case of Jonathan Creswell on Friday 21 February. I also confirmed that I had appointed Jan Melia as the independent reviewer. I believe that the terms of reference are expansive and provide the reviewer with the scope to look at any and all issues that she…
To be clear, there is no dispute with legal practitioners; there is a dispute with the criminal Bar. The remainder of the legal practitioners continue to work and are working with me. Only the criminal Bar has withdrawn its services at this point — certainly, as far as I am aware, that is the case. I met the criminal…
I thank the Minister for her answers thus far. Minister, to what extent are disputes with legal practitioners and the associated strike action putting the prison system under further duress?
We recognise that, across the Civil Service, there are people acting in front-line roles whose jobs are distinct and different from those of people who are office-based and do not have to interact with members of the public who, often, are vulnerable and volatile. The Prison Service has a unique situation, which is…
The Minister 's answer feeds in well to the question that I am about to ask about pressures and the moral component. The Department of Finance believes that the sickness-absence policy for the Northern Ireland Prison Service should be the same as that for all civil servants. Does the Minister agree that the policy…
Based on the number of people who have applied, the recent recruitment campaign has been quite successful. Northern Ireland remains in a much healthier position than other jurisdictions that have run recruitment campaigns. The increase in the number of assaults has undoubtedly has an impact on the prison staff already…
The number of assaults on prison staff has trebled over the past four years, from 32 in 2020 to 96 in 2024. Does the Minister feel that that has had an averse impact on the recent recruitment campaign? What more can be done to tackle what is a growing problem?
I thank the Member for his question. Each prison establishment is distinct. Hydebank Wood is the smallest such establishment in Northern Ireland. Despite its size, it comes with its own complexity from housing young male and female prisoners on a single site. Although the young male population there has remained…
The Northern Ireland Prison Service, like all public services, has faced budgetary pressures over a number of years. In response, it has made significant efforts to drive efficiencies, where possible. In doing so, however, it has at all times been mindful of the need to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff. The…
There is no need for a clear decision to be made. A clear decision has already been set out, which is that people will be housed in the prison system in a way that maintains and protects their dignity, their privacy and, crucially, their safety. That remains the policy that the Prison Service will follow.
I thank the Minister for that answer. Minister, given that there have been lots of conversations about transgender males going to female prisons, and given that none are housed in our prison system, is now the time to make a clear decision that, if you are a biological male, you stay in a prison for biological males…
Operation Encompass does not particularly pertain to an adult's experience of someone driving past their home. It is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases, but a person's repeatedly arriving at your place of work or your place of residence, their initiating contact with you that, you have made clear,…
Minister, I recently spoke to a domestic abuse survivor whose ex-partner repeatedly drives past her home. Sadly, that has not met the threshold for a stalking offence. In cases such as that, where behaviour is not technically deemed to be a domestic incident or a crime but could be seen as a form of psychological…
The harm that domestic and sexual abuse causes to the lives of children and young people is significant. There were strong calls for the domestic and sexual abuse strategy to include a fifth pillar in addition to partnership, prevention, support and provision and justice that specifically focused on meeting the needs…
That is a really important and timely question. When we introduced the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Bill, which became the 2021 Act, to the House, I was clear that the provisions were to be gender-neutral so that, irrespective of a person's gender, sexuality, race, age or whatever they identify as, they could…