Pam Lewis
South Antrim · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Indeed, I thank her for the assistance that she, as Minister of Justice, gave my constituents Kathryn and Aaron McCollum following the tragic death of their much-loved husband and father. Her assistance was deeply appreciated.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I very much welcome the amendment to the Justice Bill on this subject, and I thank my colleagues across the Chamber for the good work that they have done on it. What cost is the PSNI carrying for the seizure, storage and disposal of those vehicles? Is that cost creating a barrier to enforcement?”
“It progresses 18 recommendations from the independent review of charity regulation, with a focus on a more risk-based approach that promotes trust and accountability without placing undue burdens on charities.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak as a member of the Communities Committee at Second Stage of the Charities (Amendment) Bill. I thank the Minister and the Chair of the Committee for outlining the details of the Bill.”
“The public must have confidence that charitable funds are being used properly, that trustees understand their responsibilities and that there is effective oversight when misconduct or mismanagement occurs.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the streamlining of accounting and reporting requirements. For small charities, administration can be a real challenge and burden.”
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“I give particular thanks to the chair and deputy chair of the APG, Cathal Boylan and Deborah Erskine, for their continued dedication to supporting the autistic community. <BR /> <BR />This issue affects not only individuals on the autism spectrum but their families and society as a whole. There is an urgent need for a specialist autism mental health service across Northern Ireland. As we know, autistic adults experience significantly higher levels of poor mental health than the general population, with a staggering 80% of autistic adults reporting symptoms of depression. Furthermore — I will not apologise for repeating statistics that have already been read out today, because they are too important and too stark — autistic adults are nine times more likely to die by suicide, and autistic children are 20 times more likely to self-harm.”
“I thank the Members opposite for tabling this important motion. I know that the House is committed to improving the lives of our autistic community. That has been demonstrated time and time again in the Chamber, including in the unified support for my private Member's Bill — now the Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 — that I had the privilege of introducing in the previous mandate. We have seen, time and time again, debates in the Chamber in which Members come together to support our autistic community, and that has to be recognised today. Of course, both pieces of Northern Ireland legislation that have been referred to today are thanks to the work of the all-party group on autism. That work continues, ably supported by the Autism NI secretariat.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am sure that Members will support me in calling out the perpetrators of this despicable behaviour — behaviour that, unfortunately, is increasing in prevalence in our society. We must do all that we can, collectively, to protect our community from the harm that it causes and to seek to address the wider issue of misogyny and violence against women and girls, which is all too prevalent in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that Department of Justice officials will review Members' comments and pick up on any specific issues that I have not been able to respond to. <BR /> <BR />I commend the motion and the amendment to the House.”
“We must take a holistic approach that is focused on prevention and education, as set out in the cross-cutting Executive online safety strategy, which has been put in place to assist children and young people to participate in the online world in a positive, safe and responsible way. <BR /> <BR />The online safety strategy, which is coordinated by the Department of Health and involves a number of other Departments, aims to educate, support and involve a wide range of key stakeholders, including parents, carers and the wider family; schools, colleges and youth organisations; and practitioners who work with children and young people. The launch of the dedicated online safety hub in April 2024 is also a welcome development to help parents, carers and young people to be more safe and secure online.”
“<BR /> <BR />Members will be aware that round-table forums were held to take views on tackling online abuse and intimidation, particularly in light of incidents during the most-recent Assembly elections. Alarming and distressing experiences of online abuse were shared, and the Minister subsequently wrote to the Home Secretary to express her concerns. Those who seek to harass, bully, intimidate or otherwise cause harm should be aware that such activity, whether perpetrated directly or online, may constitute a criminal offence. I strongly encourage victims of such abuse to report all those incidents to the police. However, as we have heard today, a criminal justice response alone cannot improve online safety.”
“The framework will be agile in its delivery to ensure that it can respond to evolving and changing cultures and practices, such as expanding forms of online harm and technological abuse, including sexually explicit deepfake imagery. <BR /> <BR />Ofcom is developing draft guidance for protecting women and girls online, which is a requirement of the 2023 Act. The draft guidance, which is due to launch for consultation in February, will focus on the content and activity covered by the Act that disproportionately affects women and girls, such as online harassment, online misogyny and intimate image abuse. Executive Office and DOJ officials have been liaising with Ofcom, through the two UK-wide workshops, as it develops the guidance for consultation.”
“During the passage of what is now the Online Safety Act 2023, the Department of Justice sought to influence its content, urging that more be done to address the lack of accountability of anonymous account holders, which is a key issue when seeking to prevent and detect online harms and offences. <BR /> <BR />The Minister met representatives of Ofcom, which is now the regulator for online safety under the 2023 Act, to discuss implementation of the Act and plans to put it into practice. Ofcom was a key co-design partner in the development of the Executive's ending violence against women and girls strategic framework.”
“<BR /> <BR />Turning to wider issues of online communications and harms, Members will be aware that telecommunications legislation is a reserved matter. However, we have sought always to take a proactive approach towards supporting online safety. While the policy and legislation is developed and led by the UK Government, the Minister remains fully committed to playing her part in addressing the issue where she can. Online abuse and harassment is completely unacceptable. Everyone should be able to enjoy the positive benefits of online engagement without being subject to vile, abusive and harmful content. <BR /> <BR />A number of recent high-profile cases have shown the devastating impact of online abuse and the potential for it to lead to further harm.”
“If you do not mind, I cannot. I have a lot to get through, but I am sure that the Minister will be watching and will read Hansard and will be able to answer questions that are forthcoming from the debate. <BR /> <BR />The Department constantly keeps the legislative framework governing online and offline offending against women and girls under review, as evidenced by the offences that I have already referenced and which were introduced in the previous mandate. The Minister continues to look for opportunities where she can to strengthen the law further and to enhance protection from that type of abhorrent behaviour. That is why the Department of Justice is seeking to take the opportunity to provide for a deepfake offence in Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department constantly keeps the legislative framework governing online and offline offending against women and girls under review, as evidenced —.”
“<BR /> <BR />Last week, the UK Government announced that they plan to bring forward, in a crime and policing Bill, proposals to make it an offence to create sexually explicit deepfake images. The Justice Minister has already been approached by the Minister responsible, the Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, on a possible extension of the offence to Northern Ireland. Subject to the agreement of the Executive, the Justice Committee and Members, the Minister intends to take the opportunity to ensure that there is similar provision here by extending the offence to Northern Ireland. DOJ officials are liaising with UK Government officials on the detail of the legislative proposals.”
“<BR /> <BR />The psychological impact of knowing that those images are out there must be severe, and wondering who has seen them must play on victims' minds constantly. Such images also harm society. They are a tangible form of misogyny and the over-sexualisation of women and girls. What impact are those images having on those who watch them? I believe that those images desensitise people, mainly men, to the harm that they cause and deprive women and girls of the right to autonomy, dignity and privacy. The creation of deepfake images should not be tolerated, and, as I said, I am determined, where I can, to send the message to perpetrators that sexual offending against women and girls, whether online or offline, will not be tolerated.”
“Our challenge lies in the influence of the online world on our community, particularly on our young people, in shaping attitudes and the capacity to establish safe and healthy relationships. <BR /> <BR />As the motion makes particular reference to the making of sexually explicit deepfake images, I will address that issue first. Those images, where people's faces, usually those of women and girls, are placed on pornographic images without consent, cause immense harm and distress. They can destroy the lives of victims, who report feeling embarrassed, violated and unsafe, and there are far too many victims. On a recent 'Woman's Hour' feature on Radio 4, it was stated that, in 2023, more deepfake videos were viewed than in all the preceding years put together. On top of deepfake sites, videos have been viewed more than 4·2 billion times.”
“That includes work with the Department of Health on the domestic and sexual abuse strategy and with the Executive Office, where online abuse and violence against women and girls is an area of focus identified through the development of its ending violence against women and girls strategic framework for 2024-2031. The framework will enable collaborative working across Departments and wider society to address online abuse. Identified areas of abuse include cyberstalking, cyber-flashing, sexual harassment, grooming for exploitation or abuse and image-based sexual abuse. Unfortunately, the fast pace of advances in technology means that the prevalence of online abuse is increasing.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the previous Assembly mandate, the Minister of Justice brought forward legislation that strengthened existing law and introduced new offences of stalking, upskirting, downblousing and cyber-flashing and four new offences designed to tackle the particular behaviour of an adult pretending to be a child, which is mainly perpetrated online, and making communication with a child under 16 with a view to sexual grooming. Those offences have added tangible and valuable protections against online and offline abuse. <BR /> <BR />As junior Minister Reilly said in response to the previous motion, the Department continues to work collaboratively to help to eradicate such abuse.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. First, I apologise on behalf of the Minister of Justice for her not being available today. I offer my best wishes to her and hope that she makes a speedy return. I hope that we are not replacing one cough with another; I will try to keep my coughing to a minimum. <BR /> <BR />On behalf of the Minister of Justice, I am grateful to the Opposition for bringing this really important motion before the House today. It is an issue that has impacted on many thousands of women and girls, including Members of the House, as we have heard. The level of abuse and violence against women and girls, whether online or otherwise, is completely unacceptable. Members know that we remain committed to strengthening the law where possible to try to stop that blight on our society.”
“We thank Members for the support for the regulations that was signalled in the debate today and in their consideration by the Committee for the Executive Office, and I commend them to the Assembly.”
“The First Minister and deputy First Minister have agreed to the internal reallocation of £298,000 to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to cover staffing cost pressures. That funding is not directly related to Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 work or the associated business case, but the commission has welcomed the funding, and TEO has asked the Department of Finance to note the proposed adjustment to its budget lines. That is by way of information. <BR /> <BR />The Executive Office will continue to assess the implementation of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 as the monitoring process continues. These regulations will provide a helpful transitional arrangement for the new monitoring arrangements for school teachers.”
“It is not yet clear what additional burden will fall on the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The Department is extremely mindful of the current financial climate and the likelihood of additional funds being available centrally to meet the new need. The Department has asked the commission to look at ways of meeting the new requirement by reallocating funds from other work. In addition, in considering the commission's business case, the Department asked the commission for an analysis of tasks in the business case that could be conducted at a reduced level and tasks that were unachievable without additional resource. The Department has received that analysis and is actively considering it.”
“We are grateful to the Chair and the Member for their contributions to the debate. <BR /> <BR />I will update the Chair of the Committee on the point about the Equality Commission. On the wider issue of the implementation of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the Equality Commission has submitted a business case to the Department in respect of additional staff costs, as outlined. The requirement to monitor teachers that flows from the Act is new work, and the scale and volume of the task required is not yet clear. The vast majority of schools are already registered for fair employment monitoring processes and report through the Education Authority or the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, which can provide advice and guidance to member schools.”
“The Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 does not provide for the collation of the 12 months of teachers' data needed for the first return that follows the removal of the schoolteachers exception. <BR /> <BR />The monitoring regulations state that failure to provide a return containing the required information is an offence. To ensure that employers are able to provide the required monitoring data and not be potentially subject to a fine, there is a need to amend the monitoring regulations. The purpose of this statutory rule, therefore, is to amend the reporting requirements so that the existing registered concerns do not need to supply information relating to schoolteachers prior to 12 May 2024 only. <BR /> <BR />We thank the Committee for the Executive Office for its prompt scrutiny of the regulations.”
“It is substantively an administrative matter and will amend the monitoring regulations to require existing registered concerns, including public authorities, to provide monitoring information in respect of schoolteachers from 12 May 2024 only. That is the date on which the school teachers exception in the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 was removed by the commencement of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. <BR /> <BR />Without the amendment, some schools could be in technical breach of the monitoring regulations. The monitoring regulations currently require employers to provide 12 months of data to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland on the anniversary of their initial registration.”
“Today, we seek the Assembly's approval for the Fair Employment (Monitoring) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024. It might be useful to Members for me to begin by setting out the principal considerations that informed the preparation of the statutory rule (SR). <BR /> <BR />The Executive Office proposes to make a statutory rule under powers conferred by article 53 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 or "FETO", to amend the Fair Employment (Monitoring) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999. The statutory rule is subject to draft affirmative resolution before the Assembly.”
“Sorry, I am trying to find the answer. I apologise: I cannot find it. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, we abhor racism and the activities of the past few months, and we have been strong in our condemnation of them. We look forward to the review of all of the policies to make sure that racism is included and acted on. If the Member follows up with us in writing, we can provide a fuller answer.”
“Under the T:BUC camps programme, one group in South Antrim was awarded £30,000 to deliver three T:BUC camps projects, engaging approximately 80 young people. Under the planned interventions programme, two groups in South Antrim were awarded a total of £10,750 to deliver two projects, engaging a total of 59 young people. Out of the councils' good relations programme, £94,000 was awarded to Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council to deliver good relations programmes, including projects engaging participants in South Antrim. Those are some examples.”
“I thank the Member for his question. In 2024-25, approximately 61% of projects in the central good relations fund are delivering against the Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) priority "Our Children and Young People". Almost 8,000 young people will be directly impacted on as a result. In 2024-25, through the central good relations fund, two projects are being supported that include participants from my constituency of South Antrim: Ulster Hockey, with funding of £45,000, targeting 620 participants; and the Belfast Electronic Arts and Music Academy (BEAMA), with funding of almost £27,000, targeting 90 participants. The Your Freedom and Ours project received an award of £33,620, and it is delivering in the South Antrim constituency as well.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The 2025-26 central good relations fund will open for applications in December 2024. Further details will be provided on the Executive Office website and on social media platforms, and emails will be issued to mailing lists, along with details of how to apply.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. He will be aware that the bid for £625,000 was lodged for the central good relations fund and was fully met and that the bid for £1·5 million for the Communities in Transition (CIT) project's tackling paramilitary activity programme was lodged for June monitoring and was also fully met. No further bids were submitted as part of October monitoring. <BR /> <BR />The issue of multi-year funding may come into play. We are delighted by the UK Government's commitment in the Chancellor's statement at the end of July for future spending reviews to cover at least three years, with a review every two years. That will provide greater transparency and allow Departments to plan more effectively and efficiently for further investment in public services.”
“The opening budget allocation for the central good relations fund in 2024-25 was £1·65 million. Through the June monitoring round, we secured a further £625,000, bringing the total allocation to £2,275,000. That is an increase of over 60% on the 2023-34 allocation for the fund and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to good relations work. The funding has allowed 59 good relations projects to be supported in 2024-25, reaching around 22,500 people across all council areas. In addition, through approximately £1·1 million of funding per annum under the minority ethnic development fund from 2022 to 2025, we are supporting 31 successful applications to support our minority ethnic communities and help eradicate racism.”
“Outcomes data for 2023-24 indicates that 83% of those aged 13 years or more and 68% of those aged 12 years or less reported a positive change across their knowledge, behaviour and attitude towards people from a different background, due to their participation in the central good relations fund project.”
“The central good relations fund is open to all constituted voluntary and community groups, including minority ethnic groups, to deliver good relations projects where there is evidence of good relations need. Many projects provide opportunities for sustained, meaningful contact between those from different backgrounds to actively target sectarianism and racism via, for example, cultural awareness workshops, community dialogue sessions or formal training in tackling racist or sectarian attitudes and behaviours. Since 2016, over £25 million has been awarded, enabling the delivery of more than 780 projects that reached over 260,000 people here.”
“I know that she will be missed not just by her family and friends but by those of us who were fortunate enough to have known her, even for a short time, and to have worked alongside her in the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
“I rise to pay tribute to Ms Anna Lo and to pass on my condolences, as an MLA, to Anna's partner, Robert, her sons, her wider family and friends and, of course, to Anna's Alliance family circle on Anna's very sad passing. <BR /> <BR />I had the pleasure of serving on the Environment Committee for a number of years as Deputy Chair while Anna was Chair. Anna was a very good Chair. She was very fair, very respected and very respectful. She was warm, a great character, full of fun, always smiling and incredibly knowledgeable and passionate on environmental issues. She was a little but strong lady who spoke her mind, and she was not afraid to do so. Anna certainly made her mark during her time in the Assembly, and we will remember her for that.”
“I do not think that I have a relevant answer for that. If I may, I will come back to the Member in writing on that particular point.”
“Yes. We agree with the principles of the recommendations. High streets must be supported. How the task force recommends we do that and impacts since the report was published, such as the cost-of-living crisis, the budgetary position and developments in place-based working, are all factors that colleagues across the Executive need to consider. Colleagues across DFE, DFC, DFI and DOF may have particular thoughts on how to take forward the recommendations that sit within their policy control.”
“I thank the Member for that important supplementary question. High streets are vital to communities throughout Northern Ireland. Of course, we must recognise the changes, as I mentioned, in consumer shopping in recent times. It is sad to hear about that closure. We all have examples of businesses that close and are not able to continue. That is difficult to witness. We understand the difficulties around the cost of living and the cost of goods. <BR /> <BR />The high street task force highlighted important actions that can help to revitalise local communities. It will now be up to the relevant Ministers to take forward the recommendations most relevant to their Department, and, in doing so, they will wish to work with councils and play an important role in driving people back through various initiatives and animations.”
“The report makes 14 recommendations, and we will shortly write to Executive colleagues to ask them to take forward the appropriate recommendations.”
“We recognise the important role that high streets play in our society in more ways than one. They drive the economy and create shared spaces where society thrives. We know that the nature of our high streets and the way that people shop is changing, and we need new solutions to those issues. The report presented to us by the high street task force represents a genuine collaboration across many sectors, including central and local government, academia and the third sector, as well as businesses. That collaborative approach must continue over the coming years to deliver high streets and village, town and city centres that are fit for the 21st century. We thank the members of the high street task force for their work.”
“I was pleased, therefore, to hear my friend the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, announce plans for a sign language Bill and more interpreters for the deaf in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />There is perhaps no organisation as vocal in its cry for equality and representation of minority groups as the BBC, and yet, to suit its internal agenda, it removes a much-loved and much-needed service from viewers, who are told to go online instead. That is hardly an example of care in the community, is it? I will write to the BBC on behalf of those constituents, and I encourage other Members to do likewise. We really cannot let such a decision by a publicly funded body go unchallenged.”
“Last week, seemingly without consultation or notice, BBC Northern Ireland announced that it was immediately withdrawing the provision of sign language from its televised lunchtime bulletins. I find that to be a thoroughly depressing move from the BBC that will cause an even greater sense of isolation among the deaf community in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Over the past few years, I have had cause to engage at length with many deaf people in the community and, indeed, at family gatherings. I have to say that I had very much underestimated how disadvantaged that group is in society. It caused me to raise questions in this place about how we, as elected Members, interact with the deaf community here and in our constituency offices.”
“I thank the Member for her important question. Women's Aid NI, Nexus and other organisations lost that funding. We are operating in a difficult budgetary situation and are aware that the impact is being felt not just across Departments but in communities and across the community and voluntary sector. Core grant funding remains the responsibility of the Department of Health, but we will continue to engage with the Minister of Health on the issue in the context of the recently agreed Budget position.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I do not have that information available, so I will respond to her in writing.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Work is already under way to establish the foundations necessary for the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach that is needed to tackle the problem. Partnership working is key, and we are working together on prevention across education, in the workplace, when socialising and with our children and young people. That work includes developing campaigns to influence and change attitudes and behaviours for the whole of society, supporting partners to develop training packages to equip people to do the right thing and ensuring that there are good policies and tools in place to protect women and girls, wherever they are. Violence against women and girls is everyone's problem, and solving it will need collective action by everyone in society.”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question. The involvement of young people was raised with us during the engagements with stakeholders. Violence against women and girls in all its forms affects every one of us. In order to tackle the challenge, there is an urgent need to focus on children and young people. A series of youth panels was established in partnership with the Education Authority, and their input informed the development of the draft strategy. In September, our officials facilitated a youth engagement event at Parliament Buildings with young people from the end violence against women and girls (EVAWG) strategy youth panels, at which they participated in a range of creative and innovative activities. Young people's input is key to the framework's successful implementation.”
“<BR /> <BR />In February, the First Minister and deputy First Minister met the co-design group, and junior Minister Reilly and I visited a number of women's centres and organisations to engage directly with stakeholders. We will continue to engage with our co-design partners and stakeholders to ensure that their lived experience and expertise is reflected in the design and delivery of the framework.”
“The draft strategic framework was developed following a successful co-design process involving over 50 stakeholders, with representatives from Departments, statutory agencies, a range of sectors including the voluntary and community sector and those with lived experience. A public consultation took place last summer, during which officials held a series of public sessions and targeted engagements to seek input from groups facing additional barriers, including the LGBTQ+ community, migrant women, deaf and disabled, and rural women. To ensure that the voices of young people were reflected, youth panels were also held in collaboration with the Education Authority (EA).”
“I look forward to watching many more successes in the years to come.”
“I take the opportunity on my behalf, that of South Antrim and of the people across Northern Ireland to pay tribute to Mark Allen — Antrim's snooker superstar — on achieving the world number-one ranking position this week. It is a remarkable and well-deserved achievement, given Mark's incredible performances and tournament wins over the past few seasons. We are all proud of him. It is surely only a matter of time before Mark lifts the world title. I know that he would also want me to congratulate Kyren Wilson on his fantastic and emotional victory yesterday. Mark Allen is the latest in a long line of sporting greats to come from this amazing little corner of the globe, and he offers further proof that we have world-beating talent across all sectors of sport and culture of which we can all be proud. Congratulations, Mark.”
“— autism community on the status of the recruitment of the autism reviewer. When will we see an individual take up that role? <BR /> <BR />In closing, I thank in particular Autism NI, which continues to act as the secretariat. I know that the all-party group will continue to work under its guidance to press the Department of Health and scrutinise its action or inaction on the matter.”
“Perhaps the Minister can advise whether that is at a regional or trust level. I specifically ask the Minister to update the House and, most importantly, the —”