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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“<BR /> <BR />I have also had conversations with the Chief Constable on the matter because I am concerned about the impact that it has on both morale and recruitment. He is clear, that from his perspective, the days of dropping charges when someone assaults a police officer, as one of those things that just happens in the system, are over. When people assault a police officer, it will be treated as assault and should be prosecuted.”
“When somebody goes out in the morning to serve our community, to keep us safe and put themselves between us and harm, they have a right to expect our support and our cooperation and to be safe in doing so. That is the least that they should expect from us. There is lots of accountability with regard to police who behave badly, but there must also be accountability for members of the public who behave badly towards them. That is why I am bringing forward in the sentencing Bill later this year additional aggravating factors in attacking someone who is delivering a public service, is a public servant or is delivering a service to the public, which covers a gamut of people who put themselves out there every day to serve the public and do not deserve to be abused, threatened or attacked for doing so.”
“There are a number of things. First and foremost, I contacted the Chief Constable about the incidents that took place and extended my support and solidarity to the officers affected, as well as to their families and colleagues, because they have to face into such situations every day and showed great courage and fortitude in continuing with their work even though they were subjected to quite significant injury. <BR /> <BR />The other issue, I suppose, is what I say publicly. I take every opportunity that I have to say that it is not acceptable that we price in to a career in policing the fact that you will be assaulted by members of the public. That is not acceptable.”
“There are a number of reasons. Different legislative constructs were put in place for particular purposes in order to ensure the absolute independence of the Police Ombudsman and of, for example, the judiciary, the PSNI and the Policing Board, to which I have referred. The legislative framework is different. I answer questions with respect to the Prison Service and probation because they are not covered by the same legislative constraints. <BR /> <BR />To be clear, there is no mechanism whatever in legislation for any assessment of the ombudsman herself or her performance. There never has been. It is only the office that I can hold to account for its performance, and that is against the annual plan that the ombudsman sets.”
“I do not hold figures on spending by the Police Ombudsman on that legal action. As I have previously explained to Members, the ombudsman is a corporation sole, appointed by royal warrant on the advice of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. I have oversight of her office — I will have an oversight meeting with her in the next few weeks — but not of the ombudsman's decisions, in which she acts completely independently of me. You can write to the ombudsman's office to ask for that information, and it should be forthcoming. It has not been presented to me, however, and I do not hold those figures.”
“<BR /> <BR />The report also shows that early intervention through Health, Education, Communities, the Economy, Justice and every other Department can make a difference in outcomes for young people. Whilst the report is depressing in many ways, namely the extent to which adverse childhood experiences have affected our society, it offers a way forward for the Executive by evidencing why early intervention is so important.”
“Without doubt, and I commend the study to Members and encourage them to read it. It is instructive about the legacy that our experiences, particularly those related to paramilitarism and organised crime, have left us. The issues that we talk about weekly in the Chamber — people who have achieved less in school; people who struggle to hold down a job; people who have complex PTSD and severe mental health needs; people with higher levels of alcohol dependency and substance misuse and abuse; and people with higher levels of physical disability — can all be tracked back in the report to our society, how people have grown up and the experiences that they have had.”
“By using a trauma-informed approach across government, we can turn around the long tail of people who have been and continue to be profoundly affected by violence. If we are to address societal trauma on that level, however, sustained long-term intervention and investment will be required across the Executive, not solely from the Department of Justice.”
“It can have a number of impacts. The report shows that 60% of our adult population have reported at least one adverse childhood experience and that nearly one in five people has experienced four or more. The correlation between higher adverse childhood experience (ACE) exposure and poorer life outcomes, from educational achievement and chronic health conditions to substance misuse and abuse, points to a pressing need for enhanced investment in targeted intervention and support. <BR /> <BR />It is not all bad news, however, because the report also identifies how positive childhood experiences can counterbalance adverse childhood experiences and help people to thrive and live healthy and productive lives.”
“Again, payment of salaries is not a matter for the Department of Justice, so I do not hold those figures and neither does my Department.”
“I do not have statistics on the number of people who have not yet been able to receive their ill-health retirement. It is not for me to make decisions on ill-health retirement. Those decisions fall to the PSNI to make and are a matter for the Chief Constable. However, we have worked hard to ensure that we are able to find the medics who are capable of making those decisions and assessments, both for injury on duty and for ill-health retirement. I do not hold the figures that the Member has asked for.”
“There would be nothing more toxic to policing in Northern Ireland than for politicians to start dabbling in the operational decision-making of the PSNI. With respect, Mr McNulty, you have a colleague on the Policing Board. I suggest that you converse with him about how you can best build confidence in the PSNI in your community.”
“I will say a couple of things about that supplementary question. The Member said that it is not his responsibility, but it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that the PSNI is reflective of the community. Every Member who walks through the doors of the Chamber has a responsibility to ensure that their community has confidence in the PSNI, cooperates with the PSNI and creates an environment in which the PSNI is safe to do its job. I certainly will not wash my hands of that responsibility, and I hope that the SDLP is not going down the route of trying to do so. <BR /> <BR />On the wider issue that he raised about prioritising confidence in the PSNI, I have done that because I respect the independence of the Chief Constable.”
“I know that he has many connections through sport and in the community, and I imagine that he, as somebody who is well respected in his community, could have great influence in getting young people to come forward and join the PSNI.”
“It is not just that I rehearse the independence of the PSNI: your predecessors in the SDLP fought for the independence of the police service when it was being reformed during the Patten process. They argued strongly that no Minister should be able to intervene with policing in the way that it had happened historically in Northern Ireland and that we needed a fully independent Policing Board to ensure that. That system was introduced to ensure that people, irrespective of their religion, gender or ethnicity, would have confidence in the PSNI. I have consistently called for people from all backgrounds to get involved in the PSNI and be involved in a service to their community that is vital. I encourage the Member to do likewise.”
“We need to look at the whole strategy to make sure that we make best use of the buildings that we have; ensure that those that are genuinely historic buildings are maintained properly; and, crucially, ensure that we are able to maintain a justice system that works in tandem with the estate to provide people with the best possible service.”
“However, fortuitously, we have been able to obtain enough land beside the courthouse to allow us to reconfigure business, so we should be able to provide that kind of modern facility. The process is still in its early stages, but I will be quick to let the Member know once we have a firmer set of propositions. <BR /> <BR />Again, that is part of the overall estates strategy that we have to work our way through. A number of our court buildings are old but are grade 1 and grade 2 listed and therefore need to be refurbished. Parts of the court estate are distributed into accommodation that we have to pay for whilst we have accommodation that is deteriorating rapidly through lack of use.”
“As the Member will know, our initial thoughts were that we would not be able to provide the service at the current Bishop Street location, simply due to the constrained nature of the site and the listed status of the building. The plan had been to provide a new facility for the north-west.”
“In 2023-24, only 476 cases were received by Limavady Magistrates' Court, and, historically, it has had the lowest business volumes in the court estate, which is one of the reasons why it was previously open for only a single day each week. However, it is right to say that access to justice will be one of the crucial issues in the decision-making process, but it has to be looked at in the round, including whether access to the buildings can be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act and whether people live adjacent to them.”
“First, we have to make sure that those courthouses are accessible in the most basic sense, and many of them, unfortunately, are not fit for purpose. Many of the protections that we would wish to put in place — for example, for vulnerable victims and witnesses — are not possible, because everyone enters through the one door at the front of the courthouse, meaning that we cannot segregate in the way that is normally expected in some of our more recently opened, purpose-built facilities. <BR /> <BR />Limavady courthouse is the smallest courthouse in our estate, and, since 2002, it has heard only adult Magistrates' Court business.”
“The future use of Limavady courthouse forms part of that process.”
“Limavady courthouse has been closed since March 2020, with its business currently transferred to Coleraine. Prior to the building's closure, it operated as a hearing centre and was open one day a week for the delivery of Magistrates’ Court business. The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service's (NICTS) estate strategy, published in December 2023, provides a long-term framework for investment over the next decade and beyond. To implement the strategy, the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service is using data and evidence to baseline the existing estate against the agreed strategic outcomes; assess the adequacy of its buildings; and, in the context of the finite resources available, develop prioritised investment plans that will be subject to public consultation, as appropriate.”
“The terms of reference cover all the key issues and the key Departments that we anticipate will have some input to make. However, they also give the independent reviewer scope to pursue whatever fields of enquiry are, she believes, relevant, and that will include any engagement with other trusts, hospitals and practitioners. Critically, the review will focus on learning, because it is important that we take away any lessons so that we can safeguard and better protect victims who are subject not only to terrible forms of abuse but, often, coercive control. The parameters are broad, and, while they are quite expansive, they allow other issues of concern, if raised with the reviewer, to be included even if they are outwith the terms of reference, which are set up in such a way that she has the freedom to do that.”
“As I explained, whilst many people do not see Justice as a matter of life and death in the same way as they view Health, it absolutely can be. It is important that Justice be properly resourced, but also, as you rightly said, we must engender professional curiosity in all sectors. This is not to be a finger-pointing exercise; it is to be a lessons-learned exercise so that we do not continue to repeat the mistakes of the past.”
“To be clear, it will not be only the actions and interventions of the PSNI that will be considered. There was a range of opportunities across a range of statutory agencies, where earlier intervention may have made a difference to the outcome. None of us can say, with confidence, whether it would or would not have. However, we can say that, if those opportunities were missed, we would not want that to happen in another case. <BR /> <BR />It is crucial to say that, of course, we will want to embed any learning from this case within organisations. Undoubtedly — I have raised this in the Chamber before — when we lack resources for the key services that are provided, whether by the PSNI, the Probation Board, Health or any other part of the system, cases will fall through the net.”
“It is vital that the reviewer is now given the time and space to undertake this important piece of work and to report on her findings.”
“I published the terms of reference for the review of the case of Jonathan Creswell on Friday 21 February. I also confirmed that I had appointed Jan Melia as the independent reviewer. I believe that the terms of reference are expansive and provide the reviewer with the scope to look at any and all issues that she considers are relevant to the case. I am mindful that the family of Katie Simpson need to be at the heart of the review. As a matter of priority, the reviewer will engage with them to hear their voice directly and to understand how they wish to be engaged in and by the process. I have received confirmation from the key agencies that they will actively engage in and cooperate with the review. I welcome the commitment that they have shown to learning from the case.”
“To be clear, there is no dispute with legal practitioners; there is a dispute with the criminal Bar. The remainder of the legal practitioners continue to work and are working with me. Only the criminal Bar has withdrawn its services at this point — certainly, as far as I am aware, that is the case. I met the criminal Bar in the past week or so to work through some of the issues that it raised. Of course, the remand population increases if there are delays to trial. Delays mean that, potentially, there will be people in prison who should not be in prison and people who are not in prison who should be. The criminal Bar should reflect on that as it decides how to take its action forward.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important that we drive down sickness absence, but I recognise that sickness absence can be driven up because people work longer hours and take additional shifts when the Prison Service is under stress. One of the reasons that it is so important that we recruit a new cadre of officers is so that we can relieve some of that pressure and allow officers who are suffering from stress to make their way back into the system. Any HR system has to look at the roles and functions that somebody is involved in. That does not mean that there has to be a different system, but the system has to be sensitive to the nature of the role. That is standard HR procedure.”
“We recognise that, across the Civil Service, there are people acting in front-line roles whose jobs are distinct and different from those of people who are office-based and do not have to interact with members of the public who, often, are vulnerable and volatile. The Prison Service has a unique situation, which is why we have put unique supports in place, whether those are through access to the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust (PRRT) — and the work that is done there in psychology, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and training, where required, for prison officers — or in the work that we do in prisons to support prison officers in their role.”
“<BR /> <BR />As prisoner numbers grow, however, there is a challenge with the access that people have to opportunities to let off steam and to avail themselves of therapy and education as part of the full regime. That is challenging for prison officers as well, because it means that people are spending longer in their cell. It is important that the recruitment of new officers to the Prison Service allow us to have additional officers in place over the summer in order to restore the full regime. As I said, it will then be important, through the review, to look at what we can do around rehabilitation that better reflects the new prisoner population that we now have to manage in the establishments.”
“Based on the number of people who have applied, the recent recruitment campaign has been quite successful. Northern Ireland remains in a much healthier position than other jurisdictions that have run recruitment campaigns. The increase in the number of assaults has undoubtedly has an impact on the prison staff already in place, however. When there is more disruption and a more volatile situation in prisons, which is the case when prisoner numbers are increasing, people are often unable to benefit from having the full regime. As a result, they get frustrated, and volatility increases. It is therefore a spiralling situation. Nevertheless, we have managed to keep the prisons reasonably stable and safe.”
“It is a high-security prison for sentenced and unsentenced adult male prisoners in integrated and separated conditions. Since February 2022, the population of Maghaberry prison has increased by 25%, to 1,270. Nearly half of the prisoners held there — 632 — are on remand.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Each prison establishment is distinct. Hydebank Wood is the smallest such establishment in Northern Ireland. Despite its size, it comes with its own complexity from housing young male and female prisoners on a single site. Although the young male population there has remained relatively stable, the young female population has increased from 70 to 113 between February 2022 and February 2025. Magilligan is an adult male prison that primarily holds sentenced prisoners as they progress towards release. Its prisoner population is being managed carefully in order to sustain it at as close to its capacity of 500 prisoners as possible. The reason for the careful population management is to alleviate the ongoing pressure on the prison. Maghaberry is the largest and most complex prison in Northern Ireland.”
“The results of the recent Hydebank Wood Secure College inspections are a testament to that determination, and I am confident that the Prison Service can continue to respond to the pressures that it faces from having a rising prisoner population.”
“The Prison Service's ability to deliver on that work, however, has been impacted on by the rising prisoner population, the high number of remand prisoners and short-sentence prisoners and a rise in the number of public protection cases. <BR /> <BR />In response to those pressures, the Prison Service has commissioned a review of its rehabilitation model. The review is scheduled to be completed within the next few months. Its findings may mean that additional funding is required in order to support rehabilitation work. I will consider any such funding requests sympathetically. The Prison Service is a robust and agile organisation that, over many years, has proven itself to be able to change and adapt.”
“The Prison Service is dealing with a greater number of complex individuals in custody with poor mental health and drug and alcohol addictions. It is also dealing with higher numbers of older people in prison. <BR /> <BR />As a result of the increase in the prisoner population, and following a review of operational staffing levels, I have approved the recruitment of a further 75 prison officers. The Prison Service remains focused on supporting the rehabilitation of people in custody so that, when they leave prison, they are able to resettle and contribute in a meaningful way that supports the Executive's commitment to making communities safer.”
“The Northern Ireland Prison Service, like all public services, has faced budgetary pressures over a number of years. In response, it has made significant efforts to drive efficiencies, where possible. In doing so, however, it has at all times been mindful of the need to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff. <BR /> <BR />The rising prisoner population places pressure on the Northern Ireland Prison Service and on all prison services across the UK and Ireland. On 1 February 2022, the total prisoner population in Northern Ireland was 1,601. On 1 February 2025, it had increased by almost 20%, to 1,913. Between 1 February 2023 and 1 February 2025 alone, there was an increase in prisoner numbers of 170.”
“There is no need for a clear decision to be made. A clear decision has already been set out, which is that people will be housed in the prison system in a way that maintains and protects their dignity, their privacy and, crucially, their safety. That remains the policy that the Prison Service will follow.”
“There are currently no transgender prisoners housed in Northern Ireland.”
“Operation Encompass does not particularly pertain to an adult's experience of someone driving past their home. It is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases, but a person's repeatedly arriving at your place of work or your place of residence, their initiating contact with you that, you have made clear, you do not wish to receive or their behaving in a way that is fixated, obsessive or unwanted, where that behaviour is repetitive, is the very definition of stalking. I encourage your constituent to seek further legal advice on whether there are legal avenues that they can pursue to get a non-molestation order or a charge of stalking against the individual involved.”
“That incident may have required them to leave their home to find a place of safety. It may have meant that they did not get any sleep that night or that they have come to school without doing their homework or without their uniform. The school needs to be sensitive in handling those situations rather than escalating them to being a disciplinary issue that makes the young person dread going to school, so that the young person sees school as a place where they can get some respite from what is happening at home.”
“The harm that domestic and sexual abuse causes to the lives of children and young people is significant. There were strong calls for the domestic and sexual abuse strategy to include a fifth pillar in addition to partnership, prevention, support and provision and justice that specifically focused on meeting the needs of children and young people. We want to do more to prevent young people from becoming victims of domestic violence and abuse or from witnessing it in the home. The important part of that is the digitisation project that I mentioned that is being brought forward by the EA and the PSNI. By streamlining the communications between those organisations, we will be able to expedite contact with young people who may have been subjected to a domestic incident in the hours before they arrive at school.”
“<BR /> <BR />When it comes to the support that we provide for victims of domestic abuse, representatives of charities that are involved with male victims provide support for men who come forward and make such disclosures.”
“Whether the abuse happens in same-sex relationships or through a child's abuse of a parent in the home, for example, whereby a child who is the main carer can exert coercive control over a parent who relies on them for care, all of it is captured in the domestic abuse offence. It is therefore important that, when we see synergies, which we do, with the ending violence against women and girls strategy, we recognise that not all violence against women and girls happens in a domestic setting and that not all domestic offences are against women and girls. In our original advertising on the subject, we made sure that we showed a range of victims.”
“That is a really important and timely question. When we introduced the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Bill, which became the 2021 Act, to the House, I was clear that the provisions were to be gender-neutral so that, irrespective of a person's gender, sexuality, race, age or whatever they identify as, they could fall into the categories that were listed in the provisions. <BR /> <BR />I recognise that, while people always assume that domestic abuse is, stereotypically, a strong man physically abusing a weaker woman, that is not always the pattern. There can be many permutations.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the past six months, the Police Service introduced an email facility for schools to ask for a callback when they were unable to reach the designated teacher. That alerts the designated teacher that there is a referral to be received. I am advised that the PSNI and the Education Authority are developing a mechanism to fully automate the process and make the referral via public protection notices (PPN). A PPN is required for every domestic abuse incident or crime that the police attend, and it collates a significant amount of relevant information to share with the schools. A small number of pilot schools in Belfast have been identified to test that latter concept via secure email accounts. It is hoped that the new phased pilot will be able to be rolled out and provide more timely interventions for young people.”
“As I said, since the commencement of the pilot, there have been over 30,000 referrals to schools, which shows how necessary that information-sharing protocol has been. The sharing of information creates an administrative demand on policing, particularly on sharing and then on teachers receiving that information. However, all parties fully agree that the ethos behind Operation Encompass is incredibly worthwhile and are now working together to streamline it and to automate the sharing of information where possible. That will reduce the administrative burden but, more importantly, should allow the information-sharing to be undertaken more quickly and without any delay so that we can provide the support to young people in the classroom more expeditiously.”
“I am advised that the scheme is working well and allows staff to provide direct emotional support to child victims of domestic violence. The EA has completed a limited evaluation of the impact of the scheme within the school setting, and it is hoped that that will be shared with partners once it has been approved by the relevant EA governance procedures. Since the commencement of the pilot, there have been over 30,000 referrals to schools across Northern Ireland.”
“The Domestic Abuse Information-sharing with Schools etc. Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022, which make statutory provision for Operation Encompass, came into operation on 1 April 2022. The regulations were drafted by the Department of Justice in partnership with the Department of Education, the Department for the Economy and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. However, whilst my Department introduced the regulations to provide for Operation Encompass, responsibility for its roll-out sits with the Department of Education and the Education Authority (EA). The EA's child protection support service operates Operation Encompass across all schools through the provision of advisory support, training and information-sharing with the PSNI.”