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.
There is a cost to it. There is also a cost that can be levied to the public in certain situations, such as when damaged cars are left at the side of the road and the police have to seize them and move them. That cost can be passed on. That is something that we will have to look at when we are looking at how we can…
I thank the Minister for her answer. I very much welcome the amendment to the Justice Bill on this subject, and I thank my colleagues across the Chamber for the good work that they have done on it. What cost is the PSNI carrying for the seizure, storage and disposal of those vehicles? Is that cost creating a barrier…
We have had conversations with the PSNI, particularly in light of the cross-party amendment that was brought to the Justice Bill and, thankfully, was passed and will become law. It is useful that the Member's party colleague and my party colleague, under the leadership of Mr McGlone, were able to bring that forward as…
First. if there was intelligence gathering, that would fall outside my remit. Again, intelligence, particularly at a national security level, is a reserved matter. However, I am aware that colleagues in Westminster have been raising these issues with the House authorities in Westminster and, indeed, more widely with…
Thank you very much for that, Minister. I agree with your sentiments about the investigating officers and, particularly, the victims of those terrible crimes. They came through that and then had to go through a lengthy court ordeal. Recognising the operational independence of the PSNI, can you confirm whether your…
There are a few things to say. First, I pay tribute to the PSNI officers, the PPS and the courts, which saw justice delivered for the two victims last week. When information was brought to the police, they handled it appropriately and swiftly, and it is to their credit that they did so. It is also to the credit of the…
The Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 introduced the early removal scheme for foreign national prisoners. The scheme allows fixed-term foreign national prisoners who are confirmed by Home Office immigration enforcement to be removed from the UK up to a maximum of 135 days before the end of their requisite custodial…
I am not sure, because the Member sits behind me, whether he was here when I answered the original question. The enforcement of immigration is a matter for Border Force, which is an agency of the UK. The PSNI's only role is to act in support of Border Force when it deems that to be necessary. Where buses are stopped,…
At a recent meeting of the Committee for the Executive Office, the Migrants' Rights Network complained that, in the second half of 2025, the UK Government increased raids focused on illegal working. When raids increased by 76%, arrests increased by 169%. What is the PSNI doing to stop illegal immigrants exploiting the…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and TravellersCriteria met: Sectarian or communal antagonism, Dog-whistle messaging.
A number of things. The community safety partnerships receive funding from the Department of Justice and the PSNI. The work that they do and how they invest that resource is a matter for them. They take account of the local situation and the wider policing plan. In areas where there has been a particular focus on…
I thank the Minister for challenging some of the narratives that are peddled in relation to immigration. Minister, what steps are you taking to support community safety partnerships in addressing misinformation on illegal immigration and to help build confidence in how local criminality is being managed?
That is an area on which I can engage helpfully when I attend those quadrilateral meetings that I spoke about earlier, because we have a policy and strategic responsibility for modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as responsibility for supporting those identified as victims of such in Northern Ireland. The…
I thank the Minister for her humanity and her leadership. Many of the asylum seekers with whom I work do not fit into the illegal immigrant narrative; indeed, one woman with whom I worked was sold as a Daesh bride and was prostituted every day for two years, with her child often present. With that in mind, will the…
Yes, I agree. It is incredibly dangerous for us to ascribe responsibility for the crimes of an individual to a group of people with whom they associate. I think that many Members in the Chamber today will be particularly sensitive as to why that is inappropriate. People make their own decisions, commit offences and…
I thank the Minister for clarifying that immigration is an excepted matter, which means that it is the responsibility of the British Government and nothing to do with the House. The Minister will be aware that, in recent weeks, a DUP Member made claims in the Chamber about ethnicity and crime that have since been…
The Member will be aware of the dire funding situation for the Department of Justice and the PSNI. Unless and until the Department receives higher levels of funding from the Executive and, in turn, the Executive receive higher levels of funding from Westminster commensurate with our level of need, it will be hard to…
Minister, in your answer, you referred to PCSPs and the work that they do on the ground. Is there an opportunity for your Department, through the Policing Board, to provide more funding for PCSPs to enable them to do more of that work?
There have been claims and counterclaims about the direction of travel, whether north or south, in cross-border exploitation of the common travel area. I have discussed the issue not only from an immigration perspective but from the wider perspective of organised crime groups who try to exploit any opportunity that…
Given the genuine concerns of the wider public in Northern Ireland, what measures is the Minister putting in place to specifically address the illegal networks that have been set up to support and encourage the flow of undocumented immigrants coming across the border from the Irish Republic?
Mr Speaker, with permission, I will answer questions 3 and 5 together, which may result in the answer being slightly longer than usual. At the outset, I remind Members that immigration is not a devolved matter and therefore does not fall within my responsibilities as Minister of Justice. However, I assure Members that…
As I said, none of us, including the CBA, wishes to be in that position again. There are a number of things that we can do. I spoke earlier about the more regular and routine review of legal aid fees and delivery of the enabling access to justice delivery programme. If we can work together on those issues to ensure…
As I said, the listing of cases is a matter solely for the judiciary. It is something that I cannot control, but I have sought updates from the LCJ, who has now issued a direction on how she intends to take the matter forward. I will keep myself abreast of the impact that that has on the backlogs that have been…
I welcome the update from the Minister on addressing the backlog. Minister, will you commit to working with the LCJ to address the backlog and to keeping the House updated on progress?
In answer to the first question, we invested additional money in Victim Support NI and other support services so that people who needed particular support during the suspension of court processes could benefit from that. Hopefully, those services will also be able to support people through this period. I encourage…