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.
I ask the Minister whether it remains the case that the Executive are not in line to get one-off Treasury funding of up to £240 million for the unforeseen and unavoidable costs arising from the PSNI data leak? Does that, along with the pressures that the Minister has outlined, mean that the PSNI's ambition — indeed,…
One of the Executive's priorities, under the New Decade, New Approach agreement, was to increase police numbers to 7,500. That is the same figure that was recommended by the Patten report 20 years ago. However, police officer numbers are at a record low. Without additional funding, it will not be possible for the PSNI…
My Department's additional allocation from the Executive in draft Budget 2025-26 is £134 million, compared with our stabilisation pressures, initially reported, of £207 million. His Majesty's Treasury has earmarked £38 million of additional security funding for the PSNI. That funding, combined with a reported £5…
I have no intention of revisiting that plan. I considered the issue carefully before opting for the course of action that I took. Had I decided to not decouple the elements of the hate crime Bill from each other and to proceed with them as I have, at pace, I would not be in a position to make any progress on hate…
Minister, I commend you for introducing legislation in 2024. Many Ministers could learn from that. I also appreciate your being in the Chamber. You are clearly suffering from a cold, so fair play for being here and answering questions. In light of the seriousness of the hate crime situation that we face, given what we…
We are looking at a range of issues in relation to the victims and witnesses Bill, including, first, the potential to include some of the recommendations in Judge Marrinan's report around support for victims of hate crime and special measures in the courts. We also intend to bring forward additional measures to…
Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Minister, there has been a great deal of interest expressed to me, as a former member of the Justice Committee, about the content of the victims and witnesses Bill. Can you perhaps outline for the House the general principles behind that Bill and the type of offences that will be…
As you will be aware, it was not possible to introduce any legislation or progress key policy decisions in the absence of Ministers, the Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly during a significant portion of the early part of this mandate. I therefore had to review and re-prioritise my previous, more ambitious…
The Northern Ireland Civil Service, which is responsible for HR for the Department of Justice, operates a guaranteed interview scheme as part of its commitment to the employment of disabled people. The guaranteed interview scheme does not guarantee anyone a job. Its objective is to ensure that applicants who have a…
I thank the Minister for her answer and for breaking it down into a percentage. The Minister will be aware that the disabled community makes up around 25% of the population of Northern Ireland and that that community is woefully under-represented in all workplaces, not just in our Departments and the Civil Service. Is…
When staff are being recruited to the Northern Ireland Civil Service, they have the option of indicating on the application form if they have a disability. At any stage following recruitment, staff may update their HR records to declare a disability. As of 1 January 2024, 148 employees in the Department of Justice had…
Again, it is part of the overall programme of improvements. I know that there is ongoing work at the courthouse on Bishop Street. There was, at one stage, a plan for an entirely new facility for the north-west. However, we have been able to obtain — potentially — additional land, which will allow us to instead look at…
I want to ask the Minister about the estate. I recently visited Derry courthouse and did a tour. It is a beautiful building, but the conditions for staff, the legal profession and local people arriving at that centre are pretty dire, to be honest. Is there any further update on the upgrade to Derry courthouse?
No decision has been made on any courthouse that is part of the overall implementation of the estate strategy. There will, of course, be difficult decisions that need to be taken with respect to all the facilities that we have. However, any proposal to either reduce or change the operation of courthouses will be…
Thank you, Minister, for your earlier response. Do you accept that any future diminished investment in Enniskillen courthouse would threaten the fabric of the building and access to criminal justice in the future?
I thank the Minister for her response. However, do you accept that any future diminished investment in Enniskillen courthouse threatens the fabric of the building and access to criminal justice in the future?
Enniskillen courthouse is currently designated as a hearing centre and is opened for three days per week, primarily for the delivery of Magistrates' Court business. In recent years, investments in the building have included internal and external redecoration works and an upgrade to the custody suite ventilation…
I thank the Member for acknowledging that this is a sensitive issue, because it is the first time that it has been acknowledged in the course of the questioning. Instead of trying to divide people, to other people and to further diminish and marginalise people, it is our job in the Prison Service to treat every person…
Minister, this is obviously a sensitive topic. Will you give your assessment of the importance of following an evidence-led and risk-based approach rather than indulging in some of these knee-jerk, populist reactions when you are keeping prisoners safe?
I am not sure what the Member understands by the word "squandering", but it does not seem to match what he is actually talking about. It is not my job as Justice Minister to comment on headlines in newspapers. It is my job to ensure that the Justice Department does all in its power to ensure that, irrespective of how…
Minister, at the weekend, one of our papers carried a report with the headline, "Belfast woman cleared of battering elderly mum in row over table salt". Does the Minister agree that that headline was an insult to women who suffer at the hands of violent men squandering as women?
I am disappointed by the tone that the Member has adopted with regard to the issue. Referring to trans people as adopting a predator's charter is scurrilous. Many of those who are trans in our system are among the most vulnerable people in the prison system and, far from being predators, are predated upon. It is…
— and their safety that is diminished and compromised. In full knowledge of the disturbing statistics around the backgrounds and mental well-being of women in prison, rather than championing the rights of those who want to be women, will the Minister move to protect actual biological adult human females in the prison…
FlaggedGender, sexuality, abortion and related social issuesCriteria met: Identity framing, Dog-whistle messaging.