Gordon Dunne
North Down · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />As has been acknowledged, stalking is a unique crime, and perpetrators often have obsessive behaviours that can develop over time and be difficult to deal with properly. They are often evolving behaviour traits that start at an early stage and can turn out to be very sinister over time.”
“I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak on the Second Stage of the Protection from Stalking Bill. The moving of this Bill to the Second Stage in its legislative journey is timely and complements the recently completed passage of the domestic abuse Bill.”
“That will support the PSNI and increase the tools available to it and will enable early police intervention, pre-conviction, to address stalking behaviours to protect victims from more serious harm. That intervention will equally be able to be made post-conviction to prevent further stalking.”
“I know from engaging with the PSNI in my North Down constituency that they very much share the view that additional measures and resources are needed to tackle the problem across our local communities. It is widely recognised that our laws in this area need to be strengthened.”
“Part 1 of the Bill rightly prioritises that to improve the operation of the justice system and, ultimately, to better support victims. It is important to ensure that stalking conduct does not fall between the cracks because of poorly drafted legislation or a lack of awareness by those responsible for its implementation.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I welcome your commitment on rates for businesses, which will continue into the new financial year. Will you take some responsibility for the build-up of underspend? Several bids from the Department for the Economy were undercut and not fully funded.”
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“I, too, count it a great honour to stand today to pay tribute to Dr Paisley, whom I knew as my pastor and saw as a great leader and friend. He was a family friend who was very close to my late father and mother. As many know, I was brought up in County Fermanagh. My father and mother were great followers of Dr Paisley throughout the 1970s.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for her answer. To follow that up, has the Department involved universities or anyone else in research and development to try to come up with suitable equipment? Unfortunately, deaths from slurry-related incidents are a regular occurrence in Northern Ireland and will continue to be, given our large dairy sector. Surely there is a need for someone to look at this and to come up with a proper design, such as something for that purpose that will be effective, efficient, strong and portable. Has that aspect been looked at?”
“Can the Minister advise us if Rivers Agency has increased its staff and the resources that are available to deal with especially the flash flooding that we have experienced in recent years?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Does he agree that although BMAP originated in 2001, it is now 2014 and its shelf life was to finish in 2015? Does he intend to review the plan next year and would he agree that the whole exercise was cumbersome and has proved to be ineffective and inefficient?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement on what is a very important issue. I also take the opportunity to commend the work of the Forum for Action on Substance Abuse (FASA), which does an excellent job in north Down and the Ards area. Will the Minister elaborate on what approaches have been taken elsewhere in the UK and in the Republic of Ireland to address the real scourge of legal highs?”