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 44 of 151.
“With your permission, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement on a bilateral ministerial meeting held under the auspices of the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) on cooperation on criminal justice matters that took place in Dublin on Wednesday 28 May 2025. I represented the Executive at the bilateral meeting with Minister Jim O'Callaghan, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in Ireland. It was the first IGA ministerial meeting attended by Minister O'Callaghan. It was a productive meeting that provided a welcome opportunity to reaffirm our shared commitment to enhancing practical criminal justice cooperation on the island. <BR /> <BR />The meeting provided Minister O'Callaghan and me with an opportunity to review progress against the 2023-25 IGA joint work plan.”
“The work that she has done on victims' engagement; research; policy influence; disclosure compliance; issues such as access to public galleries in courts and remote evidence centres; developing the statutory role for the Commissioner for Victims; awareness raising; media; and Victim Charter compliance has made a positive contribution to the justice system and to victims and witnesses in particular in Northern Ireland.”
“The commissioner designate has completed and published her annual report and will produce her second annual report in the coming weeks.”
“Three years ago, I established a new role of Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime for Northern Ireland. The objective of the role was to give a voice to victims of crime, promote their rights under the Victim Charter and raise their issues with government and criminal justice organisations. I was also keen that that commissioner would drive forward system improvements for victims of crime and contribute to more cohesive, coordinated and victim-centred criminal justice approaches. <BR /> <BR />I am grateful to Geraldine Hanna for all that she has achieved during her time in office thus far. She has continued to identify and highlight issues that affect victims and to effect real change for victims and witnesses in the system.”
“I am very pleased to have recently launched a draft victims and witnesses of crime strategy 2025-2030 for public consultation. It aims to ensure that victims and witnesses are aware of their rights and are fully informed throughout their journey and that services are tailored and responsive. We are trying to create confidence in our justice system by empowering and supporting all victims and witnesses with a trauma-informed approach.”
“Recording by the broadcaster would have to be in accordance with the conditions imposed by that judge. Further, the judge would be able to direct that filming is not allowed in the interest of justice or to prevent undue prejudice. In considering any application from broadcasters to film, the judge would take into account any reporting restrictions in place to protect victims and witnesses. If filming takes place, it would be incumbent on the broadcaster not to breach those restrictions, including any entitlement that there may be to anonymity.”
“I reassure Members that I have no intention of our courts being opened up to broadcasting in the way that, for example, has happened in the US, where they are a televisual spectacular as opposed to being conducted in the interests of justice. What we are talking about is not a proposal that would allow the recording or filming of victims, witnesses, parties to proceedings, jurors, members of the public or court staff. The proposal that we are consulting on is to give the Department the power to make secondary legislation, subject to the Lady Chief Justice's agreement, that would prescribe the proceedings and the particular aspect of them of which broadcasting would be permitted. Even in those circumstances, the decision on filming in a particular case would rest with the judge hearing it.”
“Given the current legislative programme, that would be progressed in the next Assembly mandate, subject, obviously, to the incoming Minister and any new Executive agreeing to legislate in that regard.”
“As the Member will know, we touched on a separate issue on the family courts. However, the broadcasting of certain court proceedings would be a positive step in improving the public's right to see justice done. <BR /> <BR />A consultation was published last Tuesday, in which I propose that the following aspects of the Court of Appeal and Crown Court would be suitable for broadcast: the handing down of a judgement in the Court of Appeal; the submissions of legal representatives and exchanges between legal representatives and the court; and judges making sentencing remarks in the Crown Court. Should there be support for the proposals, primary legislation will be required to provide the Department with the power to permit the recording and broadcasting of those aspects of proceedings.”
“Therefore, I am meeting the Minister of Finance — I have already met the Chief Constable — and we will work through the affordability issues. <BR /> <BR />Whilst I recognise that I would like to see higher numbers of PSNI officers available to police Northern Ireland, if you compare Northern Ireland's number of officers per head of population with other regions, we have a higher number per head of population than other regions. If you compare the number of crimes per head of population in Northern Ireland, we have a lower number in Northern Ireland than in other regions. Therefore, we need to be careful about the line between making a robust case for additional investment in policing, which I think is justified, and talking up a crisis in policing, which is not helpful to public confidence.”
“I can explain it. It was because the previous Chief Constable decided not to go out and recruit in a period when the Executive were not here, because he did not feel that he had the confidence, in terms of political leadership, to spend that money without the political cover to do so. That is why the figures fell quite dramatically. As the Member may recall, we increased police numbers from 7,000 to 7,100 during the previous mandate when I was in office. We have fallen quite far from that, and attrition, year-on-year, was quite significant. <BR /> <BR />As to how we restore that, as the Member will be aware, we submitted a business case to the Department of Finance. That has been approved with regard to value for money. There is still an issue about affordability, but that is not unusual with business cases in the Executive.”
“We are now working on a proper strategy that will draw in every Department that has a contribution to make. Of the £5 million that my Department received for community safety from the Executive in the anticipated June monitoring round that has now been confirmed, £4·75 million of that went to the PSNI.”
“The protection of neighbourhood policing is a matter for the Chief Constable, who has to live within his budget and make decisions about his priorities. It is not for me to tell him where he spends the money that the Department gives him. It is, however, important to note that, throughout the constraints that my Department has faced, not only has the PSNI continued to receive roughly 65% of my Department's budget but it has been at the front of the queue when it has come to additional funding. For example, the Executive's Programme for Government prioritised safer communities, which is one of the areas where neighbourhood policing and other forms of policing are critical. It also recognised that other agencies and, indeed, other Departments have responsibility in that space, as it is a cross-Executive target.”
“We are taking action to streamline. The Department is holding a 12-week public consultation on proposals to simplify the sentencing framework by introducing a single, flexible order that will be supervised by a single organisation in the Youth Justice Agency. The duration and requirements of an order will be tailored to the seriousness of the offence, the needs and best interests of the child and the risk of harm and reoffending. It will be underpinned by restorative justice principles that have been a successful feature of the youth justice system in Northern Ireland for the past two decades. It will enable victims' views to be part of the process. I encourage anyone who has not already engaged with the public consultation to do so.”
“The justice professionals who work in that sphere agree. That is why the strategic framework for youth justice contained a commitment to update and simplify the community sentencing framework for children.”
“The current sentencing landscape for Youth Court disposals for children in Northern Ireland is very complex. There are seven different types of community orders available to the courts, some of which are rarely, if ever, used. Currently, the orders are provided through different pieces of legislation, some of which are more adult- than child-oriented, and are, therefore, supervised by two different organisations: the Youth Justice Agency and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI). Children can be subject to multiple and different orders at any one time, with numerous requirements, and under the supervision of two different justice agencies. We know from our discussions with children and their families, parents and guardians that that can be very difficult to understand and comply with.”
“If the Member wishes to cherry-pick comments from an individual report, he may have to go somewhat further in his homework by identifying the particular report and the area of criticism before I am able to give him a comprehensive answer.”
“First, I do not recognise those comments. For example, when I look at the improvement in our prisons, I see that there has been ample recognition of the significant improvements in safety, security and rehabilitation activity in our prisons. There has been an acknowledgement of the additional resources for, investment in and improvement to the witness and victim experience of the court system. There has been an acknowledgement of the improvement to the time that is taken to deliver on some of the statutory functions of the Department, particularly in matters such as AccessNI checks. There has been a significant improvement in the work being done to tackle paramilitarism.”
“I could say that Sorcha is always right, which would save me answering the question, because, of course, she is. However, there is no thinly veiled criticism of me as the Justice Minister in Sorcha's comments. I could also stand here and say that the law must apply and be seen to apply equally to all. That is why I do the role that I do and why I do not allow myself to be drawn into commentary on individual cases.”
“Peaceful protests are an important part of our civil rights. If any person considers that the actions or behaviours of the PSNI when policing peaceful protests are inappropriate, they can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. However, policing demonstrations is clearly an operational matter for the PSNI, and it is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the board and the PSNI, and it would not be appropriate for me to comment. However, it is appropriate to say that there is, of course, no law against peaceful protest, but where a protest crosses a line or someone is resistant in their engagement with the PSNI, they may breach other laws that have nothing to do with free assembly and free speech.”
“Some of the initiatives that tackle the issue include education and awareness raising by police and community safety partnerships (PCSPs), which are jointly funded by my Department and the Northern Ireland Policing Board. Those initiatives include engagement by community safety wardens who actively work with the PSNI local neighbourhood teams in some areas to tackle the issue. To address the spontaneous and mobile nature of street scrambling, the PSNI has advised that local response officers work closely with the air support unit to help tackle the issue. The matter also engages the interests of the Department of Infrastructure, as it is responsible for road safety, and the Department for Communities, which leads on sport.”
“Due to the constrained financial position that was imposed on my Department, it was not possible to continue that funding, although the PSNI and councils were encouraged to continue the programme with further projects that were organised by the PSNI, which had secured funding from other sources.”
“I am aware of ongoing issues with the illegal use of off-road motorcycles. Such issues, as with any community safety issue, require collective partnership working across local and central government to identify the causes and put in place joined-up, long-term solutions to prevent incidents arising and tackle the cumulative impact that they have on individuals and communities. My Department has spent considerable resource on awareness-raising and supporting a bespoke motorcycle awareness programme that my Department part-funded with the Department for Communities from 2018 to 2023.”
“Therefore, it is important that we recognise the impact on the wider community when such events take place.”
“First, every person who is guilty of manslaughter or murder receives a mandatory life sentence. The issue is the length of the tariff that is attached to that sentence before they can be considered for parole. In Northern Ireland, for good reason, we do not have whole-life sentences, which is the model that some are looking for on this issue. The Department has looked at the matter, and I am more than happy to meet the Member to discuss it in more detail. <BR /> <BR />I have some sympathy with the concerns that people have. When you attack, fatally or otherwise, someone who is providing a public service, such as a police officer, you are attacking not only that police officer but the community that they are there to protect and serve.”
“My Department is planning a review of further sentencing issues that have emerged in recent years, particularly those that have emerged since we went through significant legislative change in the previous mandate in relation to domestic abuse and sexual violence. Several issues have been identified for consideration, including the use of character references, particularly in domestic and sexual violence trials; sentencing for serious sexual offences; sentencing guideline mechanisms; and sentences for drug offences. The review will also consider recommendations arising from the recent review of sentencing in England and Wales and, hopefully, lead to a further sentencing Bill at some future point.”
“There will also be measures to encourage the disclosure of the location of victims' remains, which I referred to earlier, that will be known as "Charlotte's law" and the provision of a statutory aggravator for hate crimes. <BR /> <BR />Those measures are based on the 2016-17 review of sentencing, and considerable work has gone into getting the legislative proposals in place. In tandem with that, however, I plan to launch a further review of sentencing that may pick up on some of the issues that the Member has raised.”
“Again, I do not want to give opinions on sentencing for crimes against women and girls. I can, however, tell you what will and will not be in the Bill. There will be a statement of the principles and purposes of sentencing; provision to allow the further use of community sentences; statutory starting points for life sentence tariff calculation; expansion and simplification of the current unduly lenient sentence referral provisions; creation of a new offence of assaulting those providing a service to the public or performing a public duty; creation of a statutory aggravator for vulnerable victims; and an increase in the maximum penalties for offences causing death by dangerous driving.”
“With your permission Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 6 and 11 together. <BR /> <BR />I received Executive approval to the proposed content of my sentencing Bill on 19 December 2024. The Bill will deliver on a number of the recommendations arising from my Department’s public consultation on a review of sentencing policy. It will also make provision for Charlotte’s law, introducing measures to encourage disclosure of the location of victims' remains in no-body murder cases, and introduce a statutory aggravator model for hate crime offences. My officials are engaged with the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC), and the process of drafting the provisions for the Bill is under way. It is intended that the Bill will be introduced in the Assembly before the end of 2025.”
“Therefore, for me, it is about suggesting and testing the water through consultation on whether, for example, a clear sliding scale against when guilty pleas are entered should be made so that it is clear what the importance of the guilty plea will be and how that will factor in. It also has to be said that it is not only about early and late guilty pleas; it is also about the definition of "early". What is early for the court may not be early for the police or the victim or the public prosecutor or the court system. It may be the first opportunity that somebody has had to plead in open court at the start of the trial, but it may not be the first opportunity that they have had to plead guilty and save a lot of people a lot of work and time.”
“It is not for me to set that out; that was a judgement made in the courts in a challenge that was taken on the difference between an early and a late guilty plea. Initially, the range available to the judiciary was much greater, starting at 33% for what was considered an early guilty plea and going down to zero if it was felt that it was sufficiently late that it did not merit consideration. That was challenged, and now the courts have said that 25% is around the minimum established. <BR /> <BR />From my perspective, it is not about whether I think that that is the appropriate level; my issue is about how transparent, open and credible that system is.”
“To do so is to invite me to interfere in due process, and that is an egregious breach of the firewalls that exist between the political and judicial spheres. Where a sentence is considered unduly lenient, the Director of Public Prosecutions can refer an eligible case to the Court of Appeal for consideration within 28 days. As the public prosecutor has indicated that they are considering that, this case remains sub judice. Therefore, I do not intend to comment further.”
“As the Speaker knows, I am full of opinions, but I am not always willing to share them in this setting. <BR /> <BR />Members will be aware that sentencing decisions are determined by the independent judiciary and are based on individual circumstances for each case. The relevant sentencing guidance is available, and the sentence maxima for the offence in question were specified in legislation. The statement issued by the Public Prosecution Service set out the issues around exceptional derogation from that, so all of that is in line with how the courts operate. I do not direct how sentencing is done, only what the maxima are at certain points in legislation. <BR /> <BR />More widely, it is wholly inappropriate for Members to ask me to comment on sentences in individual cases.”
“That, as you will appreciate, is a challenging timetable, but, with the assistance of the Executive and with the Committee's support, it is entirely achievable.”
“The consultation that I referred to will close on 11 July, and, after that, the Department will carefully consider all of the responses. It would not be appropriate to predetermine the potential policy solutions that may be introduced until the responses to the consultation have been considered, and it should not be assumed that the consultation will automatically result in decisions to change legislation. However, it is fair to say that I am open to doing so. The timing of the consultation has been chosen so that, should change be required and should the Assembly and the Executive be minded, there may be an opportunity to progress this as part of the sentencing Bill that is due for introduction in the autumn.”
“With that aim in mind, I have recently published a consultation to seek views on the way in which the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland deals with reductions in sentence length when a plea of guilty is entered in order to hear a range of views from the public and stakeholders on what is a critical issue.”
“A late guilty plea can cause particular challenges for victims, witnesses and the justice system. Victims and witnesses will have experienced the considerable stress of anticipating and preparing themselves for a court trial that does not proceed or does not proceed to its conclusion because of a late change of plea. Seeing sentences reduced following a guilty plea can also lead to a sense of injustice and loss of confidence in the court system. For the justice system, which will have seen a lot of police, prosecution and court time taken up by investigation, case preparation and court scheduling, additional costs will be incurred that could have been avoided had an earlier guilty plea been entered. <BR /> <BR />One of my key aims as Minister of Justice is to drive consistent improvement in the Northern Ireland justice system.”
“It is not possible for me to do so, because I do not have access to that information directly. OPONI has, however, advised me that, since 2021, it has received around 40 complaints of what it described as "police predatory behaviour" and that it continues to receive an average of eight cases a year. It has not suggested that the number of cases has significantly increased, but there has certainly been a steady flow.”
“It is not just about vetting people who, when applying to the PSNI, are vetted in advance but about internal vetting, where information may have come to light about an officer's conduct or behaviour while he is a member of the PSNI. That should be considered carefully if he or she is moving into a sensitive role that could in any way create conflict or concern.”
“My Department is exploring legislative proposals on police officer misconduct. Members will be aware that OPONI, in its five-year review, made a number of recommendations, as did the PSNI. I think that there were seven in all on misconduct. Should primary legislative change be required, such legislation may not be able to progress in this mandate, given other legislative pressures. Whether it is primary or secondary legislation, however, it will be subject to a statutory consultation process. It is anticipated that a targeted stakeholder consultation will be initiated in the coming months to look at some of the options that the Department is considering for making more robust investment in professional standards. <BR /> <BR />I think that the Member previously asked about vetting, on which I did not provide an answer.”
“We are certainly supportive of engagement on the issue, and, if it is found to be appropriate, we will consider what steps could be taken to improve outcomes, particularly given that the ombudsman's investigations of abuse of a position of trust concern abuse of position for sexual purposes. Given the vulnerability of some of the people in contact with the police, it is important that we have absolute confidence that the individuals involved in that unethical behaviour do not draw other, ethical officers into disrepute.”
“The vetting and employment of police officers is not a matter for the Department of Justice. When you look at the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) report on abuse of position concerns and complaints, however, you see that there are recommendations on how justice organisations should address matters and the time frames within which they should do so. The PSNI, OPONI and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) all have responsibilities in addressing the abuse of position that was referenced. Given that those organisations are operationally independent of me, as Minister of Justice, and my Department, I cannot comment on the recommendations' progress. I agree, however, that it is important that robust and effective processes be in place to ensure accountability and safeguarding.”
“Investigations into complaints about the police are an operational matter for the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (OPONI). However, I recognise the potential for abuse of position, including sexual exploitation, by persons in authority when engaging with vulnerable persons. I therefore support the direction of travel from the office of the ombudsman to develop and take forward a work plan that aligns with a key Programme for Government (PFG) objective to combat violence against women and girls. As part of my consideration of the OPONI 2025-26 business plan, I will give careful deliberation to those robust and effective processes to ensure that they are in place to have accountability and safeguarding.”
“However, people's understanding of the court system would be enhanced considerably if, at a minimum, they were able to see transcripts, even if they were redacted so that individuals could not be identified, thereby understanding better a court's considerations in reaching its conclusions.”
“Transparency in the justice system, and particularly in the family courts, has to be balanced against the private and personal information, often related to minors, that could be disclosed. We are looking at that, and the Member might be aware of the work that my Department has been doing on that. However, it is important that we understand the consequences for the legal system and individual privacy. <BR /> <BR />We have been following developments in England and Wales, which have a reporting pilot in the family courts, and we will continue to monitor that. More widely, we are looking at the reporting of family cases. The Gillen review and the shadow Family Justice Board proposed that, but, in both cases, it was very contentious. There are strongly held views on both sides of the issue, so there will need to be detailed consideration.”
“We are working with our counterparts in England and Wales to understand better how they are implementing those and what structures are around them to see whether there is something that we can do in that space that may, perhaps, be more useful than an NMO.”
“<BR /> <BR />The best outcomes for children will be achieved if parents avoid the type of acrimonious dispute and entrenched relationship difficulties that can lead to the breakdown of contact and residence arrangements in the first place. However, that is not possible in cases such as the Member referred to: those in which domestic abuse played a role. Therefore, it is important that we look forward to the domestic abuse protection orders (DAPOs) and domestic abuse protection notices (DAPNs) and the work that my Department has been doing with PSNI colleagues to scope out how the trials of those are operating in England and Wales. You will be aware of the considerable concerns that the PSNI expressed prior to our going live with that legislation here.”
“I understand the Member's frustration, but non-molestation orders are a matter for the Department of Finance and not the Department of Justice. Enforcement in individual cases is a matter for the relevant judge, and, in reaching decisions, the judge will strive to ensure that the paramount consideration of the welfare of the child is not compromised. Breach of a residence or contact order can readily be dealt with through contempt of court proceedings or a summons initiated under general enforcement powers in article 112 of the Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, which gives the court the power to fine or imprison.”
“I am not aware that the absence of guardians ad litem or children's court guardians has been a significant issue in slowing access to justice. However, if there are specific areas or issues that the Member is aware of and wants to bring to my attention, I would be more than happy to meet her to discuss them further.”
“<BR /> <BR />Obviously, decisions in individual cases are and will remain a matter for the independent judiciary, but any party who is concerned about the outcome or handling of their case can seek legal advice on whether there are grounds for appeal. Complaints have also been made to me about social workers, but those are a matter for the Department of Health, which is responsible for matters relating to their training and regulation.”