Naomi Long
East Belfast · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“Underneath the Facebook posts to say that he had passed away, people speculated with such comments as, "Probably high on drugs", "Probably drunk", and, "Typical boy racer". There was all of that speculation. It was hurtful to the family, and it was inaccurate.”
“There are circumstances that we need to consider and be careful of. I was told, for example, that, when the issue of good character references at trial was being looked at in New South Wales — Committee members may wish to look at this for themselves — one of the groups that opposed their removal was representative of domestic abuse victi…”
“It sets out the strategic direction adopted by the Department and key partners to tackle those appalling crimes and protect vulnerable victims of exploitation.”
“The provision seeks to provide protection, via legal advice and representation for complainants, against the use of non-relevant personal material and evidence of previous sexual history being used in the court process.”
“<BR /> <BR />On the wider issue of ensuring that a withdrawal of services never happens again, I think that most of us agree that, although everyone has the right to take industrial action, no one has the right to derail and hold to ransom the entire justice system in that way.”
“Those measures will go some way towards helping to support complainants and enable them to have input into the decision-making process about what records containing their personal and sensitive information are required to be shared with the defence.”
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“In the interim, I am working at pace to increase tailored support for victims and witnesses who have been affected by the withdrawal and to ensure that that support is provided at the greatest possible speed. I will, of course, keep the Chamber updated.”
“Unfortunately, the CBA rejected that proposal, suggesting instead that an additional derogation to the service withdrawal, unclarified in number and scope, might be offered on a week-to-week basis, subject to its assessment of progress. That proposal was obviously untenable. It offered no certainty to victims and witnesses and no clarity on the criteria that would be used in determining which cases could go ahead and which would be delayed. <BR /> <BR />With the CBA rejecting the review, I am moving on and have asked officials to consider other options. That work is ongoing, so I cannot say more at this stage, but please be assured that efforts and intensive progress are maintaining pace. I believe that it is time for the CBA to start acting in good faith to deliver an end to the impasse.”
“We agreed a road map on 8 December to address the remaining issues, but the CBA withdrew its services, notwithstanding the fact that it had signed up to that agreement. <BR /> <BR />It was in the CBA's interests that I proposed the accelerated independent review, investing additional funding and resources once again to address the CBA's remaining concerns at pace. The proposed review was conditional on a full return to service to remove the intolerable impact on victims and witnesses. That was to ensure that additional unwarranted pressure was not brought to bear on those leading the review, so that they could proceed without fear or favour and without the added injection of victim suffering.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will address questions 3 and 10 together, as they speak to the same issue. <BR /> <BR />I want to resolve the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) dispute. We have been engaged with the CBA since before the outset of its action in 2024, and I continue to engage with it. I made commitments and delivered, including on the 16% uplift in fees, which reached bank accounts at the start of the year, and on backdating that uplift to December 2024, at an overall cost of £6·15 million, £1·8 million of which went directly to barristers. I reprioritised my delivery plan, established a working group to consider other fees and appointed Judge Burgess to lead that work because that was what the professions wanted.”
“We are trying to improve public safety and limit people's opportunity to hoard large numbers of potentially deadly weapons without at least some intervention, consideration and supervision.”
“That is quite a powerful addition to the suite of measures that we have. <BR /> <BR />Finally, with reflection on the issue of whether the number of knives owned by a person is an indicator of their propensity to commit knife crime, most of the evidence indicates that, sadly, it is. People who collect large numbers of weapons, knives and other bladed objects tend to have a propensity for violence and are therefore more likely to use them than those who have a smaller number of knives. I am not talking about the kind of stuff that involves an impulsive crime; I am talking about somebody who is committed to gathering and collecting knives and then using them, particularly some of the more specialist bladed items for which we have an amnesty for destruction.”
“It is really about whether we want to bring these specific provisions to Northern Ireland, and, so far, the Department and the Committee agree that that would be beneficial. <BR /> <BR />On child abduction, it would obviously be preferable for disputes between parents to be resolved through civil proceedings. That is intended to complement the Hague convention process for return. It is not a panacea; there will always be practical challenges in enforcement, and it will, of course, depend on relationships between law enforcement and the various agencies. However, it will provide an enhanced opportunity to ensure that, where one parent takes a child abroad and detains them without seeking the permission of the other carer, guardian or parent, that matter is brought before the courts and the child is returned to their regular place of abode.”
“It is theoretically possible for someone to, as a sideline, create a new identity, which would then be handled differently, but it would bring very little benefit to the offender, given that they would then be found guilty in their new legal name. It is about ensuring that people are not able to change their name with impunity once they are convicted of sexual offences. That is the scenario that we are trying to avoid. <BR /> <BR />Of course, we in the Department keep any law under review, and we are always looking at where may be any gaps. If there are issues of concern, we are more than happy to take evidence about those. However, it is not in our gift to change the primary legislation for which we are accepting a legislative consent motion. That has already been drafted and is before the House of Commons and the House of Lords.”
“It is clear that when we can land those changes will depend on when the Justice Bill arrives in the Chamber and passes through the normal Assembly processes. However, we are working hard. The draft amendment for deepfakes is being processed, and we are hopeful that, when the Bill comes to the House at Consideration Stage, we will be able to make that amendment. Overall, we will get a better and more accurate suite of offences by taking it forward locally, which we would not have been able to through an LCM. <BR /> <BR />The point that Mr Beattie made is somewhat moot. If you were to legally change your name during a court case, the conviction would attach itself to your new name, but a record would also be kept of any previous names that you have held.”
“Provision for the creation of deepfake images was originally intended to be included in the Crime and Policing Bill. At short notice, however, it was moved and is, instead, included in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. The timing of that change, which was by amendment, meant that we were not able to proceed with an LCM as originally intended. As deepfakes is a really important matter that has been on my radar and that we have been concerned about for quite some time, we held a public consultation on it last year. Given the importance of the matter and the fact that the underlying legislative base on which we are building is different in Northern Ireland than that in England and Wales and, indeed, Scotland, we believed that it was preferable to legislate locally, taking account of local issues.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members for their thoughtful contributions to the debate. The LCM is wide-ranging. It is the second LCM on this piece of legislation, and, as I indicated, there is the potential for a third LCM. Unfortunately, whilst that is complicated and often frustrating, it is completely outwith the control of the Department. We just have to respond, as and when we get the opportunity, to changes made to the legislation as it journeys through the House of Commons and House of Lords. I hope that Members understand, therefore, that I intend no discourtesy to the Committee or to the House regarding the frequency of the changes. <BR /> <BR />Questions were asked about non-consensual deepfakes, and I want to make Members aware of a couple of things.”
“I believe that, on this occasion, therefore, it is appropriate that the amendments be made in a Westminster Bill, and I again ask for the support of the House in passing the motion. <BR /> <BR />Before I conclude, I thank the Justice Committee for its report. I welcome its support for the LCM. I also thank Executive colleagues for their consideration of the issues. It has been something of a long and winding road — I will not break into song, you will be glad to hear — but it has been quite complex with the changes that are happening in Westminster and keeping abreast of that, so I appreciate people's patience while we navigated to where we are today. Thank you for your consideration of the motion. I look forward to your contributions to the debate.”
“In addition, the Secretary of State for the Home Department will be required to publish an annual report detailing how the enhanced powers have operated in practice, the benefits realised for public protection and public safety, how compliance with the code of practice has been supported and assured and whether the use of data has raised any concerns in relation to specific organisations. <BR /> <BR />I fully appreciate that the Assembly's preference is to legislate on Northern Ireland matters where possible, and, indeed, that is my preference. The Bill is in its final stages in Parliament, and, with the legislative constraints in the current mandate, it would not be possible to bring equivalent provision via an Assembly Bill in the near future.”
“Access to DVLA data will be strictly governed by regulations and a statutory code of practice. The regulations will have the force of law and will set binding requirements covering who can access the data, lawful use, mandatory training, data handling and security. All organisations, including the PSNI, will be required to sign up to and comply with that code of practice before they are permitted to access DVLA data. Crucially, I have secured additional safeguards in respect of Northern Ireland. They include a requirement for my formal consent before the regulations can be commenced in Northern Ireland and a commitment that the code of practice will include a dedicated Northern Ireland section developed collaboratively with my Department. The regulations and code of practice will be shared in due course with the Justice Committee.”
“It is important to be clear with Members that the DVLA is responsible for driver licensing in GB only. Accordingly, the clause applies solely to GB driving licence records and has no impact on Northern Ireland licence holders. While the enhanced DVLA data is limited to GB driving licences, it will nonetheless deliver operational benefits for policing where it can be lawfully applied. In particular, it will support faster and more reliable identity verification, support for serious and organised crime investigations, safeguarding activity and the location of missing or vulnerable persons.”
“The provisions include a number of safeguards to ensure that any interference with article 8 rights is necessary and proportionate and in the interests of national security, public safety and for the prevention of disorder or crime. <BR /> <BR />The twelfth element is clause 138, which is "Access to driver licensing information". Clause 138 will enable the police to access Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data automatically at the point of operational need for policing and law enforcement purposes beyond road traffic enforcement.”
“The provisions aim to provide a clear legal basis for search and seizure of RSED and respond to recommendations from the Law Commission in England and Wales and the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation. The provisions will create a dedicated power for police and law enforcement agencies to extract information from one or multiple online accounts in criminal investigations, including counterterrorism and national security investigations. The provisions will ensure that, where police and other law enforcement agencies are already entitled to search and extract information from an electronic device, they can also access and extract remotely stored information connected to that device.”
“The amendment means that everyone in such roles will be eligible for the highest level of criminal record check carried out by AccessNI and an enhanced check against the children's barred list, regardless of whether they are working under supervision or not. <BR /> <BR />The eleventh element is clauses 130 to 137, clause 190 and schedule 19, which deal with access to remotely stored electronic data (RSED). Members will be aware that the use of technology plays an increasing role in tackling crime. It is important that legislation keeps pace with technological developments. We all increasingly use devices and store our data in the cloud or remotely rather than on the device itself. These new powers will take account of that development.”
“<BR /> <BR />The tenth change, clause 105, is about the removal of the supervision exemption from the definition of "regulated activity". That is a Department of Health measure that has been included at the request of the Minister of Health. Clause 105 will remove the existing supervision exemption in the definition of "regulated activity" in Northern Ireland, which means that those who are currently in supervised roles are not eligible for an enhanced-with-barred-list check. Therefore, schools and other employers are not able to find out whether somebody who is working or volunteering closely and frequently with children on a supervised basis is barred from working in regulated activity with children by the Disclosure and Barring Service.”
“That provides a new measure to introduce a-right-to-know statutory guidance that aims to tell victims of stalking the identity of their abuser at the earliest opportunity and will empower and encourage police to release identifying information about anonymous stalking perpetrators to victims. The guidance will set out a clear process for police to follow so that victims can know who is threatening them. <BR /> <BR />The ninth element is clause 104, which is "Child abduction". It is to protect children by closing a current gap in the law relating to child abduction to make it an offence for a parent, other guardian or carer who has lawfully taken a child out of the UK to detain that child abroad for longer than the permitted period without obtaining the appropriate consent or the authority of a court order.”
“The intention is to ensure that SPOs can also be made at the conclusion of criminal proceedings as, since their introduction, it has become apparent that restraining orders are not the most appropriate tool in stalking cases, particularly as the courts cannot impose positive requirements on a defendant via a restraining order — such as, for example, attending a mental health assessment or handing in their mobile device to police. <BR /> <BR />The eighth change is clause 100, which relates to stalking and is "Guidance about the disclosure of information by police forces".”
“<BR /> <BR />The seventh change is about stalking protection orders (SPOs) on acquittal and conviction. That is clauses 97 and 98 of the Bill. Part 6 of the Bill aims to tackle violence against women and girls by giving victims of stalking the right to know the identity of the perpetrator, alongside strengthening stalking protection orders. Clauses 97 and 98 will specifically give courts the power to impose stalking protection orders directly at conviction, or even on acquittal, if there is enough evidence to suggest that the defendant is still a risk to the victim. That will help to stop, for example, offenders contacting their victims from prison. Currently, applications for SPOs are made by police prior to conviction to provide early intervention and protection at the earliest opportunity.”
“It is the last of a number of proposed measures of the Bill that I have sought to strengthen the sex offender notification requirements. It specifically supports the provision at clause 94(1), which was agreed as part of LCM 1. However, further engagement was needed with the Department for Infrastructure before I could bring the measure forward. Clause 94(2) will allow the Department for Infrastructure to make supporting regulations to provide a legal ability for the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) to refuse a registered sex offender a replacement driving licence in a new name as part of the risk management requirements. Clause 94(2) will complete the overall clause and ensure that Northern Ireland remains aligned with other UK jurisdictions. The regulations would be subject to affirmative procedure.”
“This clause implements a recommendation that was made in Baroness Bertin's independent review of pornography, which found that strangulation and suffocation pornographic content is rife on mainstream platforms, normalising that behaviour and having real-world impacts on how people are having sex, especially young people. Extension of the provision to Northern Ireland would send a clear message that that is not behaviour that should be normalised, that it is high risk and that it is, potentially, fatal. Again, we had a lengthy and helpful discussion about that last week. This is one of the positive things that we can do to try to challenge the growth in the number of those pornographic images. <BR /> <BR />The sixth change is around clause 92(2), sex offender notification requirements and restrictions on driving licences in a new name.”
“Testing the AI models will allow feedback to be provided to responsible technology companies, or enable them to directly test, to help them understand how their AI models may be misused so that those companies can take active steps to improve AI model safeguards, pre- and post-deployment, with the aim of preventing crime. <BR /> <BR />The fifth element is a new clause to be inserted after clause 84 and deals with the issue of pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation. It will create two new offences of possessing or publishing pornographic images portraying, in an explicit and realistic way, a person strangling or suffocating another person.”
“child sexual abuse material, extreme pornography and non-consensual intimate images. Specifically, it would provide for an enabling power for the Secretary of State (SOS) for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to make regulations with UK-wide extent to ensure that persons are enabled to carry out authorised technology testing without committing a criminal offence. One set of UK-wide regulations ensures consistency of approach in that delicate area. Before making such regulations, the DSIT SOS must consult my Department and Scottish Ministers.”
“child sexual abuse images. It will close a legislative gap to criminalise those who make available a generating tool to be used for the sole purpose of creating child sexual abuse images. Under current legislation, it is only an offence to produce, possess or distribute the images. The new provision will criminalise those who make the generating tools available. It seeks to reduce the alarming demand for, and possession of, digitised child sexual abuse materials, which have grown exponentially in recent years, as we debated at length last week. <BR /> <BR />The fourth item is a new clause to be inserted after clause 84 around the AI testing defence. A new clause to be inserted would create statutory defences for authorised bodies or individuals testing AI models to investigate whether they have been:”
“I am extending a new offence of child criminal exploitation, and the power to make CCE prevention orders, to Northern Ireland at clauses 40 to 55 and schedule 5. The new offence of CCE will seek to increase prosecutions by driving behavioural change and addressing evidential challenges with existing offences; act as a deterrent to gangs from eliciting children by charging them as child exploiters, with penalties to match; and improve the identification of victims. CCE prevention orders are designed to disrupt harmful and exploitative behaviour and protect children at risk. They are based on similar legal tools, such as slavery and trafficking prevention orders and sexual offences protection orders. <BR /> <BR />The third element is a new clause to be inserted after clause 63 to provide for a new child sexual abuse image generator offence.”
“The UK Government intend to reintroduce the amendments at Lords Report Stage. Should there be an opportunity between the beginning and end of the Lords Report Stage, it would be my intention to table for Assembly debate a third LCM, dealing in particular with age verification. <BR /> <BR />The second item that this LCM deals with relates to clauses 40 to 55 and schedule 5: the child criminal exploitation (CCE) offence and CCE prevention orders.”
“The clause would also confer a power on the Department of Justice to amend by order, subject to the draft affirmative procedure, what constitutes a reportable sale, by varying the number of bladed articles or qualifying sets specified. <BR /> <BR />I draw to Members' attention the possibility of a third LCM in the area. The Home Office was required to withdraw amendments that it had tabled to clauses 31 to 35 of the Bill as introduced, relating to strengthened age verification requirements for the online sale and delivery of knives and crossbows in England and Wales. The amendments, which would have extended the amended provisions to Scotland and Northern Ireland, were withdrawn due to a convention that prevents the UK Government from making contested amendments to the Bill at Lords Committee Stage.”
“Sales in which the buyer informs the seller that they are carrying on a business and that they are registered for VAT or as a company are not reportable. The maximum penalty for the offence of failure to comply with the reporting requirement is a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale. <BR /> <BR />The clause would confer on the Department a power, subject to the negative resolution procedure, to prescribe by order the details of the reports and the reporting process regarding to whom reports must be made. That may include requirements about how reports are to be made — the method of submission and to whom they are to be submitted — when they are to be made and the information that they must include.”
“The clause would insert a new article 54B in the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 that would introduce a duty on sellers to report any reportable sales of bladed articles made remotely. <BR /> <BR />A "reportable sale" of bladed articles means six or more knives sold in a single transaction or to the same buyer or residential premises in two or more transactions within a 30-day period. There would be a limited exception for a qualifying set of knives. A "qualifying set" means a set of at least three knives that differ in size or shape and are packaged for sale as a single item, such as a typical kitchen knife block. The purchase of one qualifying set would be treated as the purchase of a single knife. The purchase of two or more qualifying sets in a single transaction or in a 30-day period would be treated as a bulk sale.”
“The Department has engaged with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on the amendments. The commission advised that the European Convention on Human Rights analysis provided by the UK Government appears to be broadly sound and that the provisions in the Bill that will extend to Northern Ireland are compliant with article 2(1) of the Windsor framework. <BR /> <BR />There are 12 provisions for which I seek the consent of the Assembly to extend to Northern Ireland; I will briefly elaborate on each of them. First is clause 36, a provision on the bulk and suspicious sale of knives. A new clause for Northern Ireland, "Duty to report remote sales of knives etc in bulk: Northern Ireland", would be inserted, replicating clause 36 for England and Wales.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Westminster on 25 February 2025. The provisions in the Bill that extend to Northern Ireland deal with tackling serious crime, economic crime, sexual-related crime and with increasing public safety across Northern Ireland. The provisions are primarily in the justice sphere, creating new offences and ways of more effectively dealing with serious and organised crime and the protection of victims. <BR /> <BR />Members will be familiar with the contents of the Bill and will recall that I tabled an earlier legislative consent motion (LCM) that received the agreement of the Assembly on 23 June 2025. The contents of this LCM relate to amendments that were tabled at Commons Report Stage and Lords Committee Stage.”
“I will also continue to press the UK Government to advance legislation that reduces the facilitation of all forms of exploitation and abuse. I have therefore written to Jess Phillips, the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, to explore further the options available, and I will keep the House fully informed of any developments as that work progresses.”
“<BR /> <BR />The debate addresses an issue that matters to every one of us: the safety of children, women and girls and of our wider communities. I commend the Members who tabled the motion for debate today. It shines a light on issues that often remain hidden and that leave victims feeling isolated, trapped and, in many cases, fearful or ashamed to speak out. There is no shame in poverty or desperation. There is shame, however, in using, abusing and coercing people living in poverty or who are desperate into acts that they would not otherwise wish to be involved in. I am determined to maintain momentum in that area, and, where evidence supports it, I will seek to strengthen laws further to better protect people in Northern Ireland, particularly those most vulnerable to exploitation.”
“Those provisions include strengthening sex offender notification requirements; criminalising the creation of child sexual abuse image generators; introducing specific offences relating to pornography depicting strangulation and suffocation; updating the existing offence of possessing a paedophile manual so that it captures AI-generated material; introducing a power to impose stalking protection orders; introducing a specific offence against criminal exploitation of children; and introducing child criminal exploitation prevention orders to guard against exploitative behaviours. I also intend to table amendments to the Justice Bill at Consideration Stage to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images.”
“Although the responsibility for the 2023 Act and for telecommunications rests with the UK Government, I have worked to influence policy development, strengthen accountability and ensure that our interests are represented. <BR /> <BR />Colleagues noted yesterday the significant protections that we brought in during the previous mandate and also in more recent times, so I will not rehearse them. I continue to keep the legislative framework under active review, however. I sought and received the Assembly's consent to extend a number of provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill to Northern Ireland, and I am now looking for consent for further provisions in due course, a motion on which will come before the Assembly.”
“Members will know that the Online Safety Act 2023 was a landmark step in protecting children and adults from online harm right across the UK. Ofcom, as the regulator, is driving forward implementation through clear guidance and robust codes of practice for online platforms. My officials continue to engage closely with Ofcom, including by providing a detailed response to its recent consultation on additional safety measures. It is fair to say, and I have been open about this, that I think that the Online Safety Act could and should have gone much further, but I will not fail in my desire to continue to press the UK Government on that.”
“That has been accompanied by rapid advances in technology, so online abuse and exploitation are becoming increasingly prevalent. The influence of the online world on our community, especially on our young people, is profound, shaping their attitudes and their ability to build safe and healthy relationships. As technology evolves, so too do the tactics of those who wish to cause harm. We cannot and must not stand still in the face of that challenge. We need to ensure that the criminal justice response evolves at the same time and at the same relentless pace as the tactics used by those who exploit others. We cannot afford to fall behind. Vulnerable women and girls will pay the price if we do. <BR /> <BR />Where I have been able to, I have taken a proactive approach to strengthening online safety.”
“The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act 2015, which Lord Morrow introduced in the Assembly as a Bill, and on which one of my predecessors as Minister of Justice, David Ford, worked closely with him, is based on the core element of the Nordic model, which is to criminalise the purchase of sexual services, thus tackling demand while decriminalising the selling of sex so that help can be offered to those who feel trapped. <BR /> <BR />We should not be complacent, however, because if people think that they will be stopped when they are physically kerb crawling and trying to buy sexual services on the street, they will, of course, move their activities online in order to avoid detection. We have therefore seen a growth in what happens in the online space.”
“On a recent visit to Hydebank Wood Secure College and Women's Prison, I was shocked to hear the story of a young woman who realised that her supposed boyfriend was actually her pimp only when she discussed her relationship with other women in the prison. His use of her to pay for his drugs had become so normalised that she accepted it as part of a normal relationship, when, clearly, it is not. Convincing victims that they are, indeed, victims is a challenge. <BR /> <BR />Prostitution and sex work can place individuals, particularly women, at significant risk of exploitation, sexual abuse and physical harm. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where the purchase of sexual services is a criminal offence, which reflects our firm commitment to reducing harm and tackling exploitation in all its forms.”
“In the first three quarters of 2025, that figure stood at 23. That rise is not just a statistic: behind it, there is evidence of a system that is becoming more alert, more responsive and more determined to uncover exploitation wherever it occurs, including in Northern Ireland. It reflects the real, tangible progress of the three-year modern slavery and human trafficking strategy and speaks to the unwavering dedication of the PSNI and other front-line services that work tirelessly to identify victims and bring those hidden crimes to light. However, it also hints at a growth in such exploitation. <BR /> <BR />Victims of sexual exploitation are often not even aware that they have been advertised on pimping websites, and many more victims remain hidden.”
“Individuals referred in Northern Ireland can access support funded by my Department, including safe accommodation, financial assistance, healthcare, social care and counselling. That vital support is delivered locally to female victims by Belfast and Lisburn Women's Aid. As Members know, the length of time for which that support is provided in Northern Ireland exceeds that in any other part of these islands. The bespoke, trauma-informed, wrap-around support delivered by our contracted providers offers victims access to specialist services that help them address the trauma of their past experiences while empowering them to recover, rebuild and move forward with their lives. <BR /> <BR />In 2024, 15 people in Northern Ireland were identified as potential victims of sexual exploitation locally and referred through the NRM.”
“Too often, people assume that, because the word "trafficking" suggests some form of travel, people need to be physically moved from one place to another for their exploitation to qualify as trafficking, but being trafficked means being made available for criminal or sexual exploitation. Many people in our community are being trafficked within their community at the hands of paramilitaries and drug dealers in order to pay off debts, engaging in activities that they would not otherwise engage in. That is trafficking and needs to be recognised as such. <BR /> <BR />The national referral mechanism is the UK-wide system for identifying and supporting potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.”
“They and, indeed, others may be fearful that, by being exposed or by exposing someone to contact with statutory agencies, they may uncover the illegality of their immigration status. That creates real jeopardy. The Anti-slavery Commissioner and I have discussed that at length. It is therefore important that we reassure people that, if they have been exploited abroad, as the majority of victims identified to date in Northern Ireland have been, we will be able to offer them that support here. <BR /> <BR />A key priority of the strategy is to improve the identification of victims exploited in Northern Ireland.”
“My Department is proactively involved in the organised crime task force subgroup, which monitors the implementation and progress of the strategy. A report reflecting on the first year of implementation is expected to be published shortly. <BR /> <BR />Support for victims is at the heart of the strategy. Tackling such crimes demands a collaborative, whole-system approach across society, and I remain firmly committed to supporting victims as they recover, rebuild and move forward with their lives. However, it is crucial that victims are identified to enable them to access the necessary support. It can be incredibly difficult for people to come forward, particularly in the "hostile environment" situation where people's immigration status is tied up with their being trafficked.”
“I highlight to Assembly colleagues my Department's current work to tackle the crimes of human trafficking and modern slavery. On 10 July 2024, I launched a three-year strategy that sets out Northern Ireland's overarching framework for tackling slavery and human trafficking and establishes clear commitments for statutory bodies and civil society partners to ensure a coordinated and robust response. It is built on three central pillars: pursue, protect and prevent. <BR /> <BR />Among its key commitments, the strategy prioritises the effective use of existing cyber investigative tools to pursue offenders and reinforces the importance of early and ongoing engagement between the PSNI and the PPS in all slavery and trafficking cases.”
“If, however, it becomes clear that change is required, I will certainly engage with the UK Government to ensure that Northern Ireland-specific issues are considered in the context of any legislative developments at Westminster. <BR /> <BR />As has been discussed in the debate, the UK's Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner is conducting similar research into adult services websites. Northern Ireland is included within the scope of that research, which is hugely important. I look forward to seeing the findings from that research and any recommendations for legislative or policy change that emerge from it.”
“Importantly, it will raise awareness of the issue, so that the reporting is not something to be feared but is instead seen as a vital lifeline for those who find themselves trapped in a web of sexual exploitation and abuse. Where evidence from that inquiry and from operational partners identifies gaps in Northern Ireland's legal and regulatory frameworks, I will, of course, consider what further action is required to deter the platforms that enable the commercialisation of sexual exploitation. <BR /> <BR />I have stated that telecommunications is a reserved matter under the responsibility of the UK Government. That means that I do not have the authority to legislate directly in the area or to ban websites in Northern Ireland, despite what some people have erroneously stated.”