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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“The plan is that, when we get the post-project evaluation reports, we will see where, we feel, further roll-out, for example, might be appropriate. Such things, as the Member will appreciate, depend entirely on having the resources available to do them, but, when we looked at how the projects work, we were robust in scrutinising them. We wanted to bring additionality so that we were not just looking at things that are already being done, and we wanted to look at innovation so that we were looking at new ways of tackling the issues.”
“I look forward to visiting other initiatives that are funded through the scheme to see the broader reach of what I believe to be important work.”
“That programme plays a vital role in offering early interventions for women and children affected by domestic abuse across the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. It supports mothers in identifying and building on their strengths, developing tailored family support plans and gaining a deeper understanding of how abuse has impacted on their children. Children, in turn, receive therapeutic support in a safe, nurturing environment in which they can begin to process their experiences and build emotional resilience. <BR /> <BR />It was really uplifting to see the positive impact that the programme is having on families and to hear the improved outcomes for the young people who have had that additional contact and support.”
“Organisations across all regions of Northern Ireland have benefited from the support provided through the scheme. The initiatives have wide-ranging impacts, as I have set out, and offer vital assistance to men, women and children who are affected by domestic and sexual abuse. The scheme has enabled some front-line services to deliver practical, emotional, preventative and therapeutic support that has made a difference to the lives of individuals and families. <BR /> <BR />Earlier this month, I had the privilege of visiting a Women's Aid refuge in Ballymena to see first-hand the valuable work that is being delivered through its Family First programme, which is supported by the scheme.”
“Further work, which will be informed by receipt of the outstanding post-project evaluations, is needed in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the small grant scheme to date.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am encouraged that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and that early insights demonstrate tangible benefits. Those include the provision of support to 24 women and 31 children by North Down and Ards Women’s Aid through its Moving On project; the provision of information to over 200 attendees at an event to mark International Women’s Day that was organised by the Women’s Centre in Derry; White Ribbon’s pilot training programme for Northern Ireland Prison Service staff to enable them to deliver training to residents at Hydebank Wood Secure College aimed at challenging the attitudes and beliefs that lead to violence against women and girls; the provision of brief solution-focused therapy by Nexus to support 102 individuals, which is aimed at crisis de-escalation to support survivors of sexual violence; and the delivery by Derry Well Women of three programmes to young women and girls impacted by domestic and sexual abuse, which is aimed at empowering women and girls to deal with past trauma associated with domestic abuse and to live their best lives.”
“Following publication of the new seven-year domestic and sexual abuse strategy in September 2025, the Health Minister and I launched a small grants scheme that offered voluntary and community sector organisations the opportunity to apply for funding to support new ideas and initiatives that aligned with the key strategic pillars outlined in the strategy. Over £300,000 was provided to 14 projects that were to be completed by 31 March 2025. Those projects were to deliver local solutions, promoting prevention; improving outcomes for victims and survivors; and providing a coordinated and impactful response to domestic and sexual abuse. Each project was required to report with post-project evaluations. That work is ongoing, and, to date, five post-project evaluations have been received.”
“For that reason, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time on its findings.”
“When the Northern Ireland Audit Office looks at any organisation, it is important that we take time to learn the lessons from its report. I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General and her staff for the report. <BR /> <BR />The Northern Ireland Policing Board is, as you say, responsible for securing the maintenance of an efficient and effective police service, including, for example, how it acquires and maintains its fleet and where that expenditure is made. My officials will study the report closely and discuss, as appropriate, its findings with the board and the PSNI at the tripartite meetings that we hold. It is, however, possible that that Northern Ireland Audit Office report will be the subject of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing.”
“One of the most vocal critics of my proposal was one of your colleagues.”
“<BR /> <BR />There is a fine line between arguing that the PSNI needs more resource and arguing that it is incapable of delivering on its objectives. We need to be cautious about not crossing that line. Northern Ireland remains one of the safest places to live in these islands; we should not lose sight of that. I also recognise, however, that there is much more that the PSNI could do with additional resources. <BR /> <BR />Would I put resources into root-and-branch reform? I offered to do so in the previous mandate. I offered to carry out a wider review of the roles of and relationships between the Assembly, the Justice Committee, the Policing Board, the Police Service and the Justice Department. At that time, the Policing Board told me in no uncertain terms that it did not wish to see such a review.”
“There are a couple of things in that. First, they are not operational matters for the PSNI; they are funding issues, which are within my bailiwick. If Members ask the right questions, they will get fulsome answers on any occasion. I am more than happy to give fulsome answers where it is within my vires to do so. <BR /> <BR />The second issue that you raised is about declining confidence in the PSNI. At times, we all need to reflect on the fact that the PSNI comes under considerable pressure not just from the public but from politicians. It comes in for considerable criticism and negativity, all of which contributes to the overall public perception of the PSNI's effectiveness, efficiency and capability.”
“There are costs to our society from not increasing police numbers and not investing in those services. However, we will still have a challenge with affordability, because, without additional resource, there will be limited ability to implement that plan as quickly as we would wish. As you would expect, I will not be shy when it comes to asking for additional resources for the PSNI.”
“As we have an annual Budget, we review the funding allocations every year. That happens on an ongoing basis. If you look at the allocations that have already been made to PSNI, you will see that, of the £132·3 million of additional allocations to my Department, PSNI has received just over £86 million. That is 65% of the additional funding that the Department has received and 86% of the £100 million of pressures reported by PSNI to my Department, so I do not think that anyone can argue that we are not giving the PSNI priority. <BR /> <BR />We also have the business case for restoring workforce levels to 7,000 officers and 2,572 staff over the next three years. That proposal is, as I said, under active consideration by the Department of Finance. I am optimistic that the business case is robust.”
“On staffing, there is the business case that I have referred to. I am absolutely committed to seeing the PSNI increase its numbers of officers and staff so that it can conduct the work on behalf of the public that needs to be done. However, it is not just for me to make that commitment: it requires every party in the Chamber to agree to it and to funding it. That is a challenge for all of us, not just for me. <BR /> <BR />When I am given the money, I prioritise policing. Look, for example, at the allocations that we have had already this year. A significant amount of money has been given to the PSNI from those allocations. It is important that we recognise that it is not that we deprioritise policing when we get money in Justice; Justice needs to be a higher priority when it comes to the Executive as a whole.”
“As the Member will know, the Department chairs the strategic management board for PPANI. It commissioned a review of PPANI-related demand and signed off on the report, so we have already looked at the demand piece and are working to implement the findings. The timing of the HMIC report has been useful, as it will inform how we implement the recommendations of the demand review that we have undertaken.”
“As the Member will be aware, there are a number of arrangements to manage offenders. The multi-agency risk assessment conferencing (MARAC) process, which is for protection, is under review. An intensive piece of work is happening on that. We then have PPANI, in which the PSNI is one of the key agencies, but not the only agency, involved. We would need to look at whether the PPANI need a root-and-branch change. The indication in the report was more to do with the allocation of officers to cases than with a flaw in the structures that have been in place, so we would need to think carefully before investing our resource in a review rather than in officers who would be able to complete those tasks.”
“If there are other means of increasing the PSNI's complement, or other ways in which we can train people in order to ensure that we have PSNI officers available, we will look at them. Affordability will remain the biggest challenge, however, even if the business case is approved and successful.”
“Getting that through, with the resource that we need to seek on the back of it, will allow us to start to recruit new officers. Some of the money is already available to the PSNI to start the recruitment process, and some additional money will need to be found. <BR /> <BR />However, there is an upper limit to the number of officers that we can train and recruit in Northern Ireland. The upper limit for new officers coming through the police training college is around 500 a year. We lose around 350 by attrition, which means that, even at the college's peak throughput, we are talking about being able to add 150 newly trained officers a year. I have been discussing that with the Chief Constable.”
“To be clear, the Department of Justice did not allow a gap to open up in funding or in numbers. The PSNI took decisions, for example, not to recruit police officers to replace those who had left. That decision was taken by the PSNI, not imposed upon it by the finances. That has had a knock-on effect, with a deterioration in numbers over time. In 2021, the Executive secured the resources to allow the PSNI to raise its numbers to 7,100. When I came back into office at the start of last year, the number, having reached that point, had dropped to 6,300. We have arrested the decline; that is the first stage. <BR /> <BR />The second stage is about getting the business case through. I cannot give a timeline for it, but it is under active consideration by the Department of Finance.”
“The Member is right that some of this is budget-related, but some of it is about prioritisation. Changes have already been made to the PSNI's arrangements for how officers manage the caseload in that sector. The concerns that the inspectorate raised shine a light on the fact that, with limited resources, there is an increased risk. We can never reduce the risk of offending to zero, but we can certainly mitigate and reduce it significantly. It is important that the PSNI is properly resourced to do that and that, within its resources, it perhaps prioritises doing that above other things that it has to do.”
“The Member is, of course, right to say that, of all police duties, that of keeping our children, in particular, safe from predatory adults is key. One of the challenges that the PSNI and other parts of the justice system face is that, whilst crime rates remain relatively low in Northern Ireland, the complexity of those crimes, particularly those committed in an online space, makes them much more expensive to investigate and prosecute. That is a challenge that the PSNI has to wrestle with. The PSNI is a key agency in public protection arrangements, and I value the work that it does under those arrangements to manage sexual and violent offenders. <BR /> <BR />I refer to previous reports from Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) and others.”
“The second thing that is unique to the PSNI as opposed to other constabularies, and which therefore does not have a repercussive effect, is the extent to which the PSNI has to absorb the costs of legacy. That is the case right across the justice system in Northern Ireland, whether that be the Ombudsman's Office, the PSNI, the judiciary or the Courts and Tribunals Service. There are real issues around how the legacy funding for justice in Northern Ireland has been calculated. The UK Government could assist us with additional funding for those areas that are unique to Northern Ireland and that would not have read repercussive implications for the rest of the UK Budget.”
“I thank the Member for what I think is a very helpful intervention. There are real challenges that the PSNI faces, and those will also be faced by other constabularies right across the UK, particularly now that the British Government's spending trajectory on public services is heading for decline. That is a really challenging environment in which we are trying to rebuild. <BR /> <BR />There are two things to say. First, as you know, we have a business case with the Department of Finance to look at the stabilisation of numbers and increased numbers for PSNI staff and officers. I know that that is under active consideration at the moment, and I am optimistic about that. However, even if the business case is approved, it will require us to be able to demonstrate affordability, and that is a further challenge.”
“This applies to both the 2025-26 opening budget and the indicative June monitoring allocation for employers’ National Insurance contributions. <BR /> <BR />We are all operating within constrained budgets across the justice system, so I will continue to make the case for enhanced departmental funding for policing and the justice system.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am conscious of the significant pressures across all Departments and the difficult decisions that need to be taken by the Executive. That said, safer communities are a priority within the Executive’s new Programme for Government. I remain firmly committed to ensuring our communities are safe so that citizens feel confident and secure to fully engage in society. Despite the ongoing financial challenges, I welcome the Finance Minister’s allocation of an additional £5 million towards making communities safer. The PSNI will receive £4·75 million of the £5 million available, which is equivalent to 95%. Furthermore, the PSNI has received a pro rata share of the constrained resources allocated to my Department, in addition to its baseline allocation.”
“At the outset, I thank His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services for its thorough inspection, as well as the PSNI officers and staff, whose professionalism and dedication were rightly acknowledged in the report. The inspection report highlights operational challenges for both the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Policing Board to address. Crucially, it underscores the impact of reduced police officer numbers on our communities. It also emphasises the urgent need to address this decline and warns of future risks if left unaddressed. The prioritisation of resources within the PSNI is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. As such, it is for the Chief Constable to manage his resources and live within the budget allocated.”
“I may require a little extra, even if it is just to read out the number of questions.”
“Mr Speaker, with your permission, I intend to answer questions 1, 2, 7, 9, 14 and 15 together.”
“May God grant his soul peaceful repose, and may his Holy Spirit comfort all those who mourn his passing.”
“<BR /> <BR />Perhaps the most fitting way in which I can conclude my tribute is to quote the words of His Holiness Pope Francis himself, who reflected one of the fundamental truths of the Christian faith and journey. He said:”
“Whilst not all his progressive stances were fully embraced, he gave people permission to faithfully explore those issues and offered hope to those who were previously cast aside. <BR /> <BR />Pope Francis prioritised dialogue with other faiths, promoting mutual understanding and respect. That deeply personal commitment to interfaith dialogue was reflected in the range of meetings that he had with leaders across many different religious backgrounds. It also extended to his pursuit of peace and reconciliation more widely in conflict zones across the world, including, most recently, in Ukraine, Gaza and Palestine, where he was willing to challenge world powers and pressed for justice, peace and reconciliation.”
“His papacy was characterised by his humility, by his emphasis on God's mercy and compassion and by a commitment to inter-religious dialogue, to which he had always been committed. A vocal critic of economic inequality, consumerism and environmental degradation, he not only championed the poor, the vulnerable, the excluded, the migrants and the refugees but emphasised the need for action on climate change and socio-economic inequality so that we could transform this world and make it fairer. <BR /> <BR />Pope Francis, during his pontificate, also implemented and advocated a wide range of reforms, from making women full members of the dicastery in the Roman Curia to promoting greater inclusivity in the Church, including LGBTQIA people and those who were divorced.”
“<BR /> <BR />In all that Pope Francis said and did, he sought to reflect the priorities, the heart and the humility of Jesus: embracing the marginalised; challenging injustice; being a voice for the voiceless; bringing comfort to the grieving and distressed; and showing generosity to the poor and compassion to the oppressed and displaced. He demonstrated those values not only by visiting marginalised communities and advocating for the rights of the poor and vulnerable in life but by ensuring that every part of his burial rite reflected that humility, from the simplicity of his coffin to its positioning at ground level during his requiem mass. <BR /> <BR />Pope Francis's papacy broke new ground in 2013 when the then Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first from the Americas and the southern hemisphere ever to serve as Pope.”
“Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to take some time, at the commencement of today's sitting, to reflect on and pay tribute to His Holiness Pope Francis after his recent passing. <BR /> <BR />There are few world leaders who can truly be said to transcend national boundaries. However, as the temporal head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was such a leader. His influence and the esteem in which he was held extended around the globe. Moreover, the admiration and respect for Pope Francis extended far beyond the bounds of the Catholic Church and its members. It touched not only Christians of other denominations but those of all faiths and none, who connected with his authenticity, his compassion, his consistency in his beliefs and his commitment to live a life that reflected those values.”
“— people will not have confidence in the system.”
“<BR /> <BR />If we do those things, among others, we will be able to transform how people experience the justice system. Most of all, we need to speed up justice, because, until the delivery of justice is effective and efficient —”
“<BR /> <BR />I guess the other element for me is survivorship and how we ensure that people who have been victims of sexually motivated crime, domestic abuse or violence or, indeed, any other kind of violence against women and girls can move from being a victim, where they still feel under the control of the perpetrator, to being a survivor, where they feel that they have regained control and agency in their life. One of the key things that we are looking at in that regard is how we can deal with issues around disclosure in cases and allowing people to exercise privacy and how we can deal with, for example, the right of a victim to read out their victim impact statement in court so that they are not denied a voice, which so often happens.”
“We need to ensure that there is support for people who decide to go through the criminal justice system and for those who wish to, for example, leave an abusive domestic relationship. The other issue around support is that we have sexual offences legal advisers, to whom I referred earlier. There is also an issue around the advocacy support service, which we have, again, to try to support people. We also have the remote evidence centres. I hope that all of those help to build confidence.”
“I was asked quite a similar question, and I suppose that I gave three Ss. The first is sentencing. Whilst we have the highest sentences for such offences when you look at the maximum, we need to ensure that they are reflected in what is handed out in the courts. That requires the PPS, judiciary and others to work together to ensure that things are prosecuted in the right forum.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I was fortunate last week, as were a number of other Members in the Chamber, to be present at Walkway Community Centre for an event on violence against women and girls.”
“Those perceptions, whether true or not, impact on the relationship that people have with the police, so it is important that the powers that the police have are used proportionately and appropriately and that, at all times, the police are accountable for and transparent in what they do. That is the best way for us, as elected representatives, to have confidence and to build confidence in the PSNI and the work that it does.”
“The use of stop-and-search is entirely an operational matter for the Chief Constable, and it is one on which he is answerable to the Policing Board. It is not part of the strategic framework for policing in Northern Ireland, nor is it part of the long-term objectives. <BR /> <BR />We all recognise that there are, of course, dangers with stop-and-search. I have attended quite a number of events, particularly with young people, who are more likely to be affected by stop-and-search than other members of the community. They feel that profiling happens and that they are targeted because of their age or background.”
“When you look at figures such as those, it is easy to make presumptions about why they are as they are. We know, for example — the Member is very vocal on this — that offending behaviours are often linked to deprivation. We also know that many parts of the community that are nominally Catholic tend to have higher levels of deprivation. We therefore have to be careful before making a case for institutional bias. We have to look at the underlying causes of offending behaviour, and we need to unpack all of that. <BR /> <BR />It is absolutely my view that, at all points, justice has to be blind to people's religion, politics and so on. It needs to treat each individual with dignity and respect and, ultimately, with fairness and equality.”
“Their only complaint is that people see that churn: not seeing the same officers to allow the building of a relationship. Some of that is about recognising that, whilst policing is, of course, an excellent career with lots of opportunities, we should not diminish the importance of neighbourhood policing. It is in and of itself an important service to the community and can be transformational in people's experience of their lived environment.”
“As the member will know, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI), in its recent inspection report on policing, raised the issue of the abstraction of neighbourhood officers from their routine duties in communities in order to take on other roles at key times. That is an almost inevitable consequence of the low number of officers at the moment. The first thing that I can do is to get the business case approved through the Department of Finance so that we can, over the next five years, start to build the numbers back up, which will make a huge difference. <BR /> <BR />Where communities have that engagement, they very much welcome it. They also welcome the level and quality of the engagement and the helpfulness of the officers.”
“Ultimately, it is much better that we prevent offences than convict people for them. We do not want young people to have criminal convictions and criminal records. We want them to grow up healthy, safe and free from intimidation or threat.”
“I am happy to meet the Member to discuss any specific issues in the east Belfast area. I am conscious that, across the city, there have been a number of disturbances at interfaces. Not all of those have been the normal interface disputes. Some have been due to roving gangs of young people who assemble around the interfaces to engage, often, initially, in social activity, and then it moves on to something slightly more sinister. It is important, first of all, to look at the money that we give to policing and community safety partnerships (PCSPs) to support their interface work, as well as the work that goes through the Department of Education in the tackling paramilitarism programme, which works with young people who are at risk of offending. There are lots of opportunities for us to get involved if we know where particular problems are.”
“Having a native tree nursery producing local seeds for local projects is a really important step forward.”
“I can. I visited Magilligan on Friday. The prison has created a native tree nursery. It is nationally important for biosecurity, as it is only the second such location on the island of Ireland to grow native trees. They have planted and nurtured 40,000 native tree saplings — everything from Scots pine to oak, chestnut and birch, which are all in short supply. The Justice for Woodlands project is a joint venture between Magilligan prison, the local Binevenagh landscape partnership, the Woodland Trust and Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust. Last year, 7,000 of those trees were transferred from the prison and planted in the local area, which included a scheme to prevent erosion on the banks of a local river. Northern Ireland is one of the least wooded countries in Europe. Previously, a lot of the tree stock had to be imported.”