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.”
The complete record
Every one of 7,548 lines we hold for Naomi Long, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 32 of 151.
“As proposed in the motion, one such approach could be the introduction of a specific offence prohibiting the recording and sharing of:”
“In the aftermath, it transpired that Mr McGrath's family had been sent a video recording of the scene, although, mercifully, it was received after the PSNI had informed the family of his death. Nonetheless, the callous nature of that type of recording, and the devastating impact that it can have, is clear. As Ms Ferris's brave testimony demonstrates, the recording and distribution of such images not only causes untold pain for the family of the deceased but has the potential to traumatise people and even discourage potential Good Samaritans who attend a scene from being willing to provide medical and first aid assistance. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we ensure that that type of behaviour is discouraged and identify the best approaches for doing so.”
“It is difficult to imagine the pain experienced by family and friends who have lost a loved one in those circumstances only to have their dignity and privacy, and that of their loved one, violated by someone else's voyeurism — and you are right that it is voyeurism. Such images, when shared, can also trigger others who witnessed or were involved in serious road traffic collisions. There is no avoiding those videos once they go online: they will be there in perpetuity and will always turn up on people's feeds. <BR /> <BR />I was deeply concerned to read about the experience of Fiona Ferris, who bravely stopped to provide CPR to Dominic McGrath after he was knocked down by a bus in Newry in December 2024. Despite the brave efforts of Ms Ferris and others, Mr McGrath sadly passed away at the scene.”
“Caoimhe's mother, Marie O'Brien, has written to me: we have corresponded, and I hope to meet her soon as part of a round-table that we are organising to discuss a way forward. <BR /> <BR />I have also been disgusted, frankly, to hear stories about bystanders photographing or recording images of fatal road accidents and subsequently sharing them on social media, without any thought or empathy for the impact on the families and friends of the victims. I thank Linda Dillon for her powerful intervention. Any road traffic death is traumatic, but it is especially cruel to have that trauma compounded by the capturing and distribution of images of the scene in the immediate aftermath, causing distress to families, survivors and others who may have previously been involved in road traffic collisions.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. This is a very important motion. I very much welcome the proposer of the motion tabling it and giving the Assembly an opportunity to condemn the sharing of images and videos of fatal road traffic collisions, which is an utterly deplorable practice. It is also a very important opportunity for us to show unity of purpose when it comes to something that can affect anyone at any time in our community. <BR /> <BR />I commend the hard work of Road Victim Support Northern Ireland-Donegal, the O'Brien family and all the families who have campaigned to raise awareness of the issue and for the introduction of Caoimhe's law, named in honour of Caoimhe O'Brien, who was killed in a crash on the road between Derry and Strabane in October 2016.”
“I volunteered; otherwise, there might not have been a substantive response to the motion, and I wanted to ensure for those who have been affected that there was an Executive response. As I will outline further, it will require a lot of cross-cutting cooperation between a number of Departments and, potentially, the UK Government.”
“Most cases will continue to go through the courts, but one of the reasons why we are talking about the out-of-court disposal system is so that we can use the courts for the most serious cases and speed those up and so that we can ensure that people are punished for lighter offences, which very often get tossed out by the PPS or get a derisory fine from the courts at the end point anyway. To me, it seems much better to allow police officers to use their judgement. To be clear, it will be police officers who will make the judgement, and they will have to take into account the views of the victim of any crime before they-decide to dispose of it via a penalty notice.”
“Once you have had a penalty notice, you have a criminal record. Therefore, you cannot get a penalty notice again, and the case has to go to court. Those notices are a criminal penalty. It is not, as some people were describing it, like getting fined for parking. Parking offences, of course, have been decriminalised; assault has not. It would affect only those cases that are at the lowest end of the scale.”
“I will never shirk from an opportunity to provide clarity. The proposals were developed through a cross-justice working group led by PSNI, and they included measures to reduce pressure on the system through additional powers for police and prosecutors to deal with lower-level offences. That included expansion of the offences that the PSNI can deal with by way of a penalty notice, which it already does for many of the cases that are listed. <BR /> <BR />I am disappointed that the people who wish to criticise the proposals are focusing solely on the more serious examples in the cohort of cases rather than looking at the cases that could fall within that definition albeit at the more minor end. Penalty notices are designed to target first-time or non-habitual offenders for a set number of offences.”
“<BR /> <BR />The PSNI will often not proceed with the cases for which we recommend that penalty notices may be of use because it lacks the capacity to prepare the files or because there is a lack of will, even, frankly, on the part of those who have been injured, to go through the hoops. It can often be the thing that gets dropped when the case goes to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) because it does not think that there will be an opportunity to get a significant penalty at court. If a case makes it through all those hoops and gets to court, often it is dismissed with a fine anyway. We propose that, in cases in which a fine is the most likely outcome, we should simply allow the PSNI to issue a fine and cut out all that middle work, which is consuming resources and time for everyone concerned.”
“Officials are analysing responses to the out-of-court disposals consultation, which invited views on a number of the proposals aimed at tackling delays in the justice system. As is commonplace in the justice system, many of the offences put forward in the proposals are broad in nature and can cover a wide range of offending behaviour from the minor to the major. The broad nature of those cases is evidenced through the options available for dealing with a case, whether by prosecution in either the Magistrates' Court or the Crown Court, which can vary significantly in penalties. That is to be borne in mind, because it is has been raised a lot that penalty notices will in some way be a lighter-touch option.”
“We need modular accommodation for the Prison Service, because our prison population is growing. We need to modernise the Magilligan and Hydebank prison estates. There is a new police college and modernisation of the wider police estate, IT transformation and modernisation projects for courts and the modernisation of the Royal Courts of Justice and Bishop Street courthouse, both of which are listed buildings and are heavily used.”
“Those of you who watch the weather forecasts as avidly as I do during spells of bad weather will note how often the highest winds in Northern Ireland are at Magilligan Point. It is literally through hope and prayer that that building has held together during all those storms, given the battering that it takes regularly. We know already about some of the significant damage that was done in a previous storm when the wind demolished the walls of the boiler house. <BR /> <BR />The funding that we have already secured from public-sector transformation is a positive step, and it will help us, but we need to do other things. We need new offices and laboratories at Forensic Science headquarters, which, in some places, is being held up internally with scaffolding.”
“Our five-year plan highlights the need to modernise an ageing estate. That is a critical element of making the system faster, more effective and more victim-focused. For example, we have courtrooms in which victims and witnesses cannot be separated from the accused, and that can create distress in some of those cases. We will not be able to adequately meet the needs of those engaging with the justice system if we are not able to carry out the required upgrades. <BR /> <BR />It would also reduce the Department's ability to deliver future savings from the planned projects, including estates rationalisation and the use of energy-efficient systems. That capital investment will reduce the need for ever more urgent and expensive maintenance repairs as infrastructure is modernised and replaced.”
“<BR /> <BR />Planned capital projects for the four years from 2026-27 to 2029-2030 will cost, on average, £270 million each year, which would require significant funding above the current £100 million capital budget of my Department. The figure reflects the costs of a number of key departmental projects for the police, the courts, the prisons and Forensic Science, many of which are included in the draft investment strategy. We have to invest in ambitious transformation programmes across the justice estate and to support and sustain investment in our estates, with a focus on rehabilitation and a clear opportunity, as I said, to invest to save.”
“If people are not feeling depressed enough after listening to our revenue budget needs, I will depress them further by telling them about our capital budget needs. The justice system is currently delivered from facilities that are often antiquated and use outdated technology. I will give Members an example of the antiquation: people in Magilligan prison are still housed in Nissen huts that were put there to house Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War. If we are going to make progress, we will need significant capital investment in order to upgrade and modernise the ageing justice estate. Doing so will release savings, because we will have more efficient buildings, more heat and sound controls and other things, but that will require investment.”
“We are engaging urgently across Departments to explore what mitigations we can put in place and to press for arrangements that better reflect local priorities. At the moment, however, it seems that the UK Government are absolutely determined to move forward with a process that does not serve this community well.”
“I share the Member's concern entirely. The lack of any clear replacement for the Shared Prosperity Fund risks undermining efforts to reduce offending and reoffending; in fact, the uncertainty about what will follow that programme puts at risk the delivery of programmes in prison. In the prison situation, where there is staff attrition as a result of being put on protective notice, you cannot simply bring in somebody new to take up a post the following week. Those individuals have to go through extensive clearance before they are able to work in prisons. That could create a huge gap in our service provision, particularly with the community and voluntary sector. I am concerned about that, and I have raised it with Executive colleagues. People in the UK Government do not understand just how important the Shared Prosperity Fund has been.”
“We were delighted that Lord Timpson was at the launch of the forum, because it will be a game changer. I can tell businesses that it will be fine to employ somebody who has an offence on their record, and they will nod and say, "Well, you would say that", but, if another business that has done that successfully can tell them so, it will be much more powerful.”
“We also provide learning and skills qualifications through Belfast Met. Employability tutors are based in each establishment, and, through our voluntary and community sector partners, we make significant provision, including through the SkillSET programme, that supports people. We also have representation on the DFC regional labour market partnership, through which we work to ensure that the needs of those in the criminal justice system are considered. <BR /> <BR />That is quite a lot of work, but, most important, in October 2024, we launched the business-led employers' forum for reducing offending. The forum will have its first official meeting on 2 December 2025, and it will be instrumental in business-to-business conversations about how people who have an offending background can be successfully employed.”
“A critical element of reducing reoffending is how offenders leaving prison can be stabilised in the community. That means making sure that somebody has secure accommodation, that they have family links where appropriate and that they have access to healthcare and, crucially, a job or education. Without those things, it can be difficult for people to reintegrate into the community. Having a job gives people more than a wage; it gives them purpose, identity and a sense of belonging. It allows people to be seen not just through the lens of their offending but of what they can contribute to society, which is hugely important for rehabilitation. <BR /> <BR />We have invested in education provision and work opportunities in custody in order to increase the potential for employment on release.”
“<BR /> <BR />I recognise that the PSNI does an incredible amount of work. PSNI officers deserve not just to be praised for what they do but to be paid for it. In conjunction with the Finance Minister and the rest of the Executive, I want to be able to tell them that the pay will come and that they will be paid. That is the most important thing that we can do. PSNI officers should not be at the end of the queue simply because they cannot take strike action. They deserve to be rewarded for their work and the sacrifices that they make. As Justice Minister, my objective has been to ensure that that happens. So far, we have never not paid what the PRRB has advised.”
“My duty is not to do it to the satisfaction of PSNI officers who are waiting; my duty is to implement the recommendations of the PRRB. I have no idea whether officers will be happy with what the PRRB asks for. My job is to meet that requirement, because that is what maintains broad alignment with forces across the UK. I cannot give a cast-iron guarantee. It would be foolish for any Minister to say that at this point in the year. I can say that the trajectory of the projected overspend by PSNI has decreased month on month. We have done some hard work in the Department and with the PSNI and other Justice arm's-length bodies to see whether more money can be freed up from work that we perhaps had intended to do but have not been able to take forward because of limited resources.”
“If we get the money that, it was indicated to me, I would have first call on, which, I believe, is available, and if that promise is kept, I believe that we are in a very good position to do so.”
“I have worked with the Department of Finance on a number of issues, but I understand that, given last week's rather disastrous Budget in Northern Ireland terms, we will not have the amount of Barnett consequentials that we had hoped for. However, we have made other provision in the PSNI and my Department to wring out potential savings from the budget that we have at this point in the year. I am confident that we will be in a position to approve PSNI pay as affordable certainly before the end of the financial year and ideally before the end of the calendar year. <BR /> <BR />There is, however, still significant work to be done, and I do not want to get ahead of myself before I go to the Executive and see what the December monitoring round might hold.”
“Members will be well aware that there has been an ongoing debate on PSNI pay this year. There are two elements to PSNI pay. The first is the contractual element, which has been paid. It is a legal entitlement. The second element is the uplift advised by the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). That uplift is technically a discretional input. However, from my perspective, it is essential that the PSNI's pay keeps pace with pay in other jurisdictions in the UK and that we are able to effect that pay increase as soon as possible. <BR /> <BR />The PSNI currently indicates that it will have an overspend at the end of the year. It is a relatively modest overspend at this point, and it has been coming down steadily over recent months.”
“More work can be done around training, but, as you know, annual training is part of the Act. Therefore, we have the opportunity to revisit that with colleagues on the operational side to make sure that, where, we feel, gaps or trends are emerging, we can close those gaps through training.”
“The major outstanding bit is the DAPOs and DAPNs because we were not prepared enough to be able to do the regulations in the time frame that the Committee set out in its amendment and there were serious concerns about their operation in other jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />The coercive control elements of the legislation are operable and are working at the moment. The question is, I suppose, whether people are adequately trained and supported to identify coercive control of all kinds. I will often feed back to colleagues in other parts of the justice system that victims have said to me that they felt that, for example, their financial coercive control was dismissed by the PSNI as simply a civil matter that they needed to take through the civil courts.”
“It is also aiming to take advantage of technological developments to improve operational processes and the communication between criminal justice organisations and the public.?Earlier this year, the Department secured £20·5 million of transformation funding to support delivery of the programme. The funding is already being used to accelerate ongoing work in the early engagement and out-of-court disposals projects and is a significant boost to progressing this very important programme of work.”
“The programme is a joint cross-justice collaborative effort, under the direction of the Criminal Justice Board, upon which the senior leaders of the criminal justice system are represented, including me, the Lady Chief Justice, the Chief Constable, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the director of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service and a number of other senior officials, including the Victims' Commissioner. <BR /> <BR />The programme takes a whole-system approach, focusing on reducing avoidable delay, reducing demand, freeing capacity and facilitating more proportionate and effective responses to offending behaviours.”
“Tackling delay is one of the biggest challenges facing the criminal justice system and has been identified as a key priority by me, as Minister, and the Criminal Justice Board and justice agencies.? The speed with which domestic violence cases progress is of huge importance to victims, witnesses, the accused and, indeed, their families and the wider community.?The delivery of the speeding up justice programme is a Programme for Government commitment that supports its safer communities priority.?”
“That insight has enabled officials to refine the model to a`frto3l nlesvoid the challenges that were experienced elsewhere and to ensure that it is tailored to local needs and understands the operational responsibilities around local structures. We hope to introduce necessary regulations in spring 2026 and, subject to Executive and Assembly approval, the preparatory work places us, I believe, in a strong position to begin piloting DAPOs and DAPNs in the second half of 2026 or early 2027.”
“On the request of the Assembly in the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act 2021, we have undertaken extensive preparatory work with the PSNI and voluntary sector partners to design a Northern Ireland-specific DAPO and DAPN model that will be both effective and operationally deliverable. Engagement has provided a very strong foundation, but we need to do further work with the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service and the judiciary around the operational processes and court handling arrangements. <BR /> <BR />Cross-agency collaboration has ensured early identification of resolution of key operational IT procedural and safeguarding requirements. We have also learnt from other jurisdictions. There was a detailed fact-finding visit to the Croydon and greater Manchester pilot sites, as well as engagement with officials in Scotland.”
“The data is being tracked. The PSNI tracks the data that it has. That is an operational matter that the Chief Constable is engaged in routinely and held to account for, I am sure, by the Policing Board. The Executive Office will track the data in relation to the strategy, which is Executive-wide. My Department clearly will have input into that monitoring, but we are not the sole repository of all actions around protecting women and girls or ending violence against women and girls. We will play our part, but every Department needs to look at those issues and feed into that overall reporting. We do not hold the data. TEO holds the data.”
“<BR /> <BR />Alongside the domestic and sexual abuse strategy, which was launched in September 2024, my Department has published a comprehensive performance framework to monitor progress for all victims of domestic and sexual abuse. Work is under way to agree the approach to identification of baseline data and data capture to inform future reporting cycles, which will enable us to measure how much we are doing and how well we are doing it on a consistent financial basis. However, the data collected under the domestic and sexual abuse strategy will relate to all victims of domestic and/or sexual abuse, regardless of gender.”
“Ending violence against women and girls is a cross-Executive priority led by the Executive Office. My Department, alongside the Department of Health, leads on the domestic and sexual abuse strategy, which is gender-inclusive and recognises that those harms can affect anyone. <BR /> <BR />While my Department does not hold specific data on progress against the wider ending violence against women and girls strategic framework, we continue to work closely with the Executive Office to support the delivery of its objectives. However, it is important to recognise that violence against women and girls goes beyond domestic and sexual abuse and encompasses a broader spectrum of harms, which is why the Executive Office leads on that work and the associated data collection.”
“Where the police are seen as the facilitators of justice and not just the enforcers, it can strengthen the relationships between the police and the community.”
“<BR /> <BR />Out-of-court disposals for suitable cases can reduce the victim's involvement in very lengthy and stressful court proceedings. It also better allows the perpetrators to understand how their actions have affected their victim, their community, themselves and those closest to them. The perpetrators also often appreciate the opportunity to meet their victim to actively participate, express remorse and try to make things right. It can help them to identify what they need to do to avoid further offending and get the support to do so. Our research shows that perpetrators generally have positive attitudes towards the police and law enforcement when they do a restorative justice intervention.”
“There is a wide range of benefits linked to the delivery of restorative justice. First, it is a victim-centred approach that allows the perpetrator to be held directly to account. Important questions can be asked, and the impact of the harm that has occurred to the victim can be shared with the perpetrator, and that can be a transformational experience on both sides. Victims can also witness direct accountability from the perpetrator and influence how the harm will be repaired, and, very often, that feels like a better process than one in which they may feel that the process has moved beyond their control or that they are a bit player in the justice system, and we will all be familiar with that complaint.”
“The purpose of the accreditation process is to ensure that the people and organisations that say that they are accredited by the Department have a regular review of their practice standards, any new qualifications and learning, and are kept up to date with the latest practice. Those who decide to take the restorative route through the justice system must have as much confidence in that route as in any of the other routes through the justice system. It is important that those people are adequately accredited and inspected so that the public can have full confidence, and that is the purpose of our work.”
“As evidenced by youth conferencing, however, the criminal justice system gives access to more victims of crime, who will be offered the opportunity to participate in restorative justice. That is in line with the directive on victims' rights, but it also requires us to ensure that there is a pathway, particularly for the most complex cases, which many restorative practitioners will not have had an opportunity to engage with.”
“We have leant very heavily on their expertise, and it is important to note that they were part of the panel that we engaged with when designing the system. Much of their work is the same as the work that they will do post-accreditation, but other organisations and individuals can offer restorative practice. There is also the opportunity for the organisations already engaged in restorative justice to upskill their workforce and individual practitioners and, hopefully, assist us in delivering restorative practice. <BR /> <BR />Restorative justice will still be delivered by community-based, accredited practitioners using the same values, principles and practice standards that underpin it in the community.”
“The protocol lead and an independent suitability panel will then assess the applications and make recommendations on the appropriate level of accreditation, which will be determined on an individual basis. A senior official in my Department will consider and sign off that recommendation. A register of accredited organisations and practitioners will be published on the Department of Justice website in 2026 once the current accreditation round is complete.”
“Each level requires increasing levels of experience and training. Level 1 practitioners will undertake restorative work in response to incidents that fall beneath the criminal justice threshold but have the potential to escalate to the attention of the police. Level 2 practitioners will undertake restorative justice work relating to formal criminal justice cases, and level 3 practitioners will be accredited to facilitate restorative justice processes relating to sensitive, complex and serious crimes. The level that is awarded will be determined by the practice experience of those who apply. <BR /> <BR />The accreditation application window opened on 17 October and closes this Friday.”
“My Department published a new restorative justice practice standards and accreditation framework on 17 October 2025. That will govern the delivery of future restorative justice work for accredited organisations and practitioners. The framework development has been taken forward in partnership with our protocol lead and a restorative justice working group, with statutory, voluntary and community sector stakeholder representation, which considered and agreed the core elements of the new process. <BR /> <BR />One of the key changes is the introduction of organisational-plus-practitioner accreditation, which was first outlined in the 2023 restorative justice protocol. The three practitioner accreditation tiers are level 1, which is foundation; level 2, which is intermediate; and level 3, which is advanced.”
“<BR /> <BR />On the seriousness of the offences, I have mentioned that, as part of the sentencing Bill, we are looking at the introduction of an aggravated offence, which will focus on public-sector workers and those who are delivering a public duty or public service. That would be helpful. It is already an aggravating factor to attack a member of the emergency services, and that should be taken into account in sentencing. However, to be clear, sentencing guidance is not for the Department; it is for those in the Lady Chief Justice's sentencing group. They are the people who write the sentencing guidance based on case law and on the legislation that we pass, which usually sets a maxima. That allows them to interpret it for individual circumstances.”
“The first thing to say is that I am not refusing to include it. I would be unable to include it, because the Executive have already decided on and passed the sentencing Bill in its current form, and it is now in the late stages of drafting. I have indicated that I am happy to engage with the Member who raised the issue today, and, if a private Member's amendment on that were to come forward, I would discuss with him the limitations and give some suggestions about how that might be included. Sadly, however, that would deprive the Assembly of the right to fully scrutinise it and the public of the right to be consulted on it. We are all aware of how important that is.”
“When you attack a police officer, you are attacking not just an individual but a whole community that is no longer able to be served by that officer. You are draining resources from the PSNI at a time when it needs them, and you are disrespecting someone who is putting themselves on the front line to keep other people safe.”
“Ultimately, the sentencing that is available for manslaughter includes a life sentence, and the decision on what is handed down in any individual case is up to the judiciary, which is independent and has to assess all elements of a case, such as whether there was intent and whether the act actually took place. That decision will always have discretion. Even were we to introduce Harper's law, we would have to introduce it in a way that meant that it had exceptions, because it would still have to allow for judicial independence and discretion. That is the nature of the system, and it is important that we respect it. <BR /> <BR />I am clear about this: no police officer doing any police work should face any assault when they are out helping the public.”
“Thankfully, that may be as a result of there being few cases of manslaughter of a police officer. I am certainly happy to continue to engage with the Member on the sentencing Bill. If not through that engagement, the sentencing review, which should be launched later this month, will be a good vehicle for us to test opinion on the issue.”