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.
Yes. The Department has engaged with the PCSP on additional funding and how it spends the money that it has at the moment. I am aware, for example, that the PSNI has increased patrols and that the PCSP has additional measures in place, whereby people can get alarms to carry with them for additional reassurance. There…
I thank the Minister for her answer. Understandably, women across the north-west still feel unsafe. There has been a community response, including self-defence classes in Limavady, which is brilliant. Since those attacks just weeks ago, has the Minister engaged with the policing and community safety partnership (PCSP)…
Most of the support for victims is provided via other Departments in collaboration with my Department. However, there is a range of cross-departmental priorities where we have allocated funding, including the ASSIST advocacy service; advocacy for the families of victims of domestic homicide; training for law…
I thank the Minister for her response. What measures is she taking, as Minister of Justice, to increase the confidence of women and girls in the justice system and ensure that they get proper access to support?
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will answer questions 7 and 12 together. I condemn all acts of violence that endanger the safety and well-being of women and girls. In recent times, we have seen an increase in reported violence, including attacks in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. My Department…
Absolutely. If people have housing, employment and family support, they are much less likely to offend in the first place and, indeed, to reoffend, so it is a huge part of the work that we do on rehabilitation. On bail and remand reviews, that is a decision that was taken by the Lady Chief Justice when we had…
Minister, will you agree that your Department and the Northern Ireland Prison Service have made a major contribution to assisting those leaving prison with their housing by changing the day of their release during the week? Do you agree that providing stable housing helps to stop reoffending?
Every prisoner who is committed to our care, whether on sentence or on remand, will be asked questions and can share information with us, up to the point that they wish to do so, about any historical issues with their mental health or with addiction. There are therapeutic services, but they are provided not by the…
Minister, you will be well aware that many of those who are homeless on leaving prison are homeless because of addiction and mental health issues, so what are you doing to ensure that those prisoners, when they are sentenced and are in prison, get the assistance and intervention that they need around mental health and…
Initiatives are in place to mitigate the risk of homelessness, but, to be clear, when somebody leaves prison, they leave the care of the prison system and the Department of Justice. We cannot, for example, retain people in custody or deprive them of their liberty at the end of their sentence on the basis that they…
I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, has your Department had discussions about enhanced pre-release housing assessments, strengthening partnerships between prisons, councils and homelessness charities or introducing a mandatory post-release housing plan? What regular audits and reviews of prisoner…
The provision of stable accommodation for those on release from prison is a critical factor in ensuring desistance from reoffending and resettlement into the community. Whilst responsibility for the allocation of housing sits solely with the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the…
It is important that, when we look at those who are at risk, we consider the impact on children. As you are aware, in the domestic abuse offences, there are statutory aggravators that take account of children being aware of, having had sight of or hearing domestic abuse taking place. It is important that, when we…
As part of the work that we are undertaking, we are exploring the potential to pilot arrangements for a daily risk assessment meeting (DRAM) that would operate in support of MARAC in the first instance but would look at more immediate interventions for high-risk victims. We are also exploring how to pilot the…
I am committed to ensuring that the risk that is posed to victims of domestic abuse is assessed and managed as effectively as possible. Members will be aware that Leonard Consultancy conducted an independent review of the multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) arrangements on behalf of all strategic partners…
One of the key things for stabilisation is ensuring that we stave off the attrition and loss of officers to other parts of these islands. The recent allocation allowed the PSNI to, first and foremost, clear what was left of its in-year pressures, but it will also put us in a position from which we will be able to, as…
Minister, if the funding allocation for policing falls short of what is required to facilitate further recruitment, what additional work will you do with the Chief Constable on the stabilisation of policing?
In the first instance, it is not about the numbers that the Chief Constable aspires to. We are undertaking a separate work stream in parallel with stabilisation processes to identify what the right size of the Police Service should be. We will work with the Chief Constable and others on that. However, the issue is…
I thank the Minister for her answer. She has often asserted her respect for the Chief Constable's operational independence, and I am glad to hear her support for his operational ambitions. Will the Minister tell us how she will put forward the argument to her Executive colleagues about the importance of funding the…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will take questions 4 and 8 together. I share the Chief Constable's ambition to increase police officer numbers. However, the reality is that police officer numbers cannot increase without additional funding, which I have been actively working to secure through the appropriate…
Yes, I am very pleased to provide some insight into the bids that have made it through for further consideration by the interim board. We made a bid, which has been supported by the Criminal Justice Board, to speed up the transformation of the criminal justice system. That bid is in partnership with the Public…
I was pleased to present five innovative and transformative bids from my Department to the interim public-sector transformation board. Following consideration by the interim board, I welcome the fact that three of those bids have moved forward for further consideration. The bids relate to three key areas: speeding up…