Sinéad Bradley
South Down · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />Periods have had many different names and have come, as Emma correctly pointed out, in many different colours. Mostly, they were talked about in hushed tones, but that is no more.”
“I, too, support the Bill, and I thank Pat Catney, my friend and colleague, for introducing it. <BR /> <BR />As a Member who sat on the Justice Committee, I am all too aware of some of the harrowing circumstances that young women face every day.”
“Pat's charm allowed everybody to embrace what he is trying to achieve today. I genuinely mean this: the people of Lagan Valley served the House proud when they put Pat Catney here. It is having people like Pat, with a good heart and good intentions, in a place where change can happen that results in days like today.”
“I am privileged to support the motion on behalf of the SDLP. Like other Members of the House, I have heard at first hand about the horrendous and heinous acts that led to the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act.”
“I thank Members across the Chamber for their kind words. <BR /> <BR />I suppose that all of us like to consider ourselves to be fair. I include myself in that.”
“I thank my party leader, Colum Eastwood, for hearing my calls, understanding the importance of the Narrow Water bridge and making sure that it was included in the New Decade, New Approach agreement.”
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“I thank the Minister for his statement. As a Member from South Down, I particularly welcome any strategy that talks about digital inclusion because there are pockets across South Down, particularly in rural areas, that still await that, and there is no doubt that, as policy develops more online-first services, that exclusion becomes a bigger problem. During discussion of the British-Irish Council's digital inclusion work, did the conversation on digital exclusion come up?”
“I will end on that note. I thank everyone and wish everyone a happy International Women's Day.”
“It is for other women to build that woman up, not knock her down. We in the Chamber all need to be strong in our vocal support of those women. We also need to support the women and men who, as line managers, are charged with supporting those women. We need to know that they are comfortable. Let us open the conversation, make the language comfortable for everybody, and reach a time when it becomes a policy like all others, where we just understand that it is about making life better for women in their career and workplace.”
“Here in Parliament Buildings, we can set an example to all. Some of the solutions to assist women through the menopause are not rocket science. Rather, they are simple things such as ensuring that there is air conditioning or a window nearby, an understanding that fresh, cool drinking water should be provided, or an understanding that, when a woman leaves a meeting, it is not an insult but might be necessary for a few moments. <BR /> <BR />I understand that many women, thankfully, go through menopause without it having any great effect. For some women, however, it can be quite problematic. Some of the jokes and jibes that are associated with the menopause can be quite hurtful, but they are brushed aside as light-hearted banter. At times, they are not. The menopause is a time in a woman's life when there could be a knock to her confidence.”
“That is not good enough. Women should have that choice, and it should be based on what they choose to do and want to do. <BR /> <BR />I thank my colleague and friend Pat Catney, who is doing a lot of work on period poverty. It is about individuals going off and taking on the mantle and task of doing small pieces, because all those little pieces of the jigsaw add up to making life better for women. <BR /> <BR />"Choose to Challenge" is the theme of this year's International Women's Day. I have chosen to challenge the lack of understanding about the issue of menopause that exists for women. It is still quite taboo in many circles. It is not openly talked about. It is not a comfortable conversation. Many people find it easier just to park the subject. I do not believe that we should.”
“I can think of a number of women who came through the House and perhaps left too early, and that was not always because of the expression of the electorate. It may have been because the facilities and opportunities in politics were not always there. We therefore need to get better at opening the door to women in political life. This place does stand as an example to other places and other workplaces through how we manage women in the workplace and offer facilities to them. <BR /> <BR />Reference was rightly made to childcare, not just in public life but in all walks of life. Childcare can be an absolute barrier to employment. It can be the deal-breaker that makes it not worth your while going out to work, because you will surrender so much and because there is little in the way of any financial reward or career prospects beyond that.”
“That having been said, it is timely that we have brought forward the motion. I thank the officials on the caucus, who are predominantly women, and the Clerks who assisted and supported us in putting forward today's proposals. The action plan is not just about getting women into politics. In a way, we have started to become good at that. We have tried to understand the barriers and open doors. Perhaps what we are less good at, or where there is room for improvement, is retaining women in politics. When women arrive in the political forum, it may be that they are at an age and a time in their life when their choices are their own and are easier made. Once caring responsibilities become part of their life, however, there is definitely a different playing field. Ms Bradley listed names.”
“Their absence today is noted. To have those young women around us definitely added to this place, and no doubt it will in the years ahead. During these COVID times, a bit of a dampener has been put on what we are trying to achieve through such events.”
“I wish a happy International Women's Day to everybody here. I want to thank St Mary's High School in Newry, with which I had the privilege of joining this morning to celebrate International Women's Day. That was a very enjoyable experience. <BR /> <BR />At the beginning of the debate, many of us were recalling how, this time last year, the Assembly Chamber was filled with young women who were, shall I say, very enthusiastic and very inspiring.”
“I thank the First Minister for her answer. Given that the Irish Government have already realised that there is a requirement for legislative change to the issue and without wanting to pre-empt any outcome of the panel that you referred to, has the Executive Office carried out an initial scoping exercise to establish whether there will be any legislative requirements? I see that the Irish Government are looking at legislation on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and at a law that is focused on providing dignified burials. Has any consideration been given to that?”
“I put on record the SDLP's support for the motion in the hope that no Member has to use it and that we are facing brighter and more positive times. However, it is prudent to make the provision.”
“The more I learn about it, the more disturbing it is to see how people try to function in their daily life with a stalker in their midst, with some of them maybe not even aware of it for some time. <BR /> <BR />I concur with the words spoken in the House today, and I put it on the record that I will work with members to make swift work of the legislation.”
“I also concur with and support the Chair and Deputy Chair's words on the matter. The SDLP supports the extension. Whilst we rightly have a stringent process for building up legislation, Members will know that the consultation with stakeholders begins almost prior to any suggestion of a Bill being introduced, and I know that that work is ongoing with different stakeholders and different Committee members. I agree that we need to bring the Bill to the table and get it to the stage where it is an Act as quickly as possible, but we must do that responsibly and in a way that, we know, will have absolute effect for those who are really struggling with the terrible act that is stalking, which is difficult to live with.”
“Thank you, Minister, for that clarification, because there is a duty on you, as there is on all Ministers, to represent all the people of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />In that vein, what plans does the Minister have to ensure that equality is offered to the people of South Down, who, for a very long time, have been at the latter end of any work done through Invest NI to secure inward investment and jobs. What plans does she have to rectify that situation?”
“I thank the First Minister for those words. I hope that she will use this opportunity to distance herself from the comments that were made by her party colleagues Gregory Campbell and Nelson McCausland over the weekend. Will she call on them to issue a public apology?”
“The Bill should not just offer immediate comfort to anybody who is the victim of stalking but take a longer-term view on how to break the habitual use of stalking, and that is where the conversation about the possibility of stalking registers may come into play. I look forward to that work and welcome the Bill's Second Stage.”
“I noted that, under the consultation process, the Department engaged with the question of powers of entry to search premises. However, the Department has taken the position that there is no need to adapt any legislation in that regard, because existing laws, as far as it is concerned, satisfy the need to gain entry and make determinations. <BR /> <BR />As with the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Bill, the issue of stalking is complex and very nuanced. I look forward to working with the Minister, her officials, colleagues across the Justice Committee and the stakeholders who will feed into it to make sure that we bring the Bill forward in its best possible form.”
“The Department also confirmed that a conviction is possible on the basis of online stalking alone. Having reflected on that, I say now that we need to understand the scope of that. Somebody could be convicted having never met the perpetrator of the stalking, and it raises questions about jurisdiction, our powers and the growing number of fake social media accounts that can be used for stalking. It is a bit of a minefield, and we need to explore it fully and properly to do the Bill justice.”
“There needs to be training to recognise that "nice gestures", as they have been framed, could form part of that infringement of a person's civil liberties. It has to be understood that those nice gestures should not be dismissed and should be seen in a larger frame. <BR /> <BR />The Committee had an opportunity to have some deliberations with Department of Justice officials, and, during that session, it was confirmed to me that there needed to be no time between occurrences of stalking incidents.”
“In exploring that, I will pose questions on the detail around the time that a stalking victim may require to engage with the police; for example, the police will have the power to make the application for a stalking order, but that, no doubt, will be based on the evidence that can be presented by the victim. There will be questions around, for example, whether an employer should be compelled to allow a stalking victim reasonable adjustments to their working patterns or time off to bring forward such evidence and to keep that reporting mechanism open. <BR /> <BR />There is a real need to differentiate stalking from harassment behaviours, and it is evident through many high-profile cases in the media in recent times that that clarity of understanding needs to be refined.”
“I believe that today represents the second stage in that becoming a reality. <BR /> <BR />The Bill contains detailed provisions and clauses that I look forward to exploring in greater detail in Committee and with colleagues across the House. The Bill includes a statement that it is within the legislative competence of the House, and it is acknowledged that the introduction of the stalking protections may have financial effects in their application by police to the courts and other criminal justice partners. It is also stated that the Bill will have no direct costs to the private or voluntary sectors and may result in modest savings to employers and voluntary sectors.”
“As the SDLP spokesperson on justice, I, too, welcome the Second Stage of the Protection from Stalking Bill. As far back as 2016, the SDLP brought to the House the amended text, which has already been quoted:”
“I am glad that the Minister is here for this Matter of the Day, and I urge her to learn from this quickly. We do not have the privilege of time to be able to establish all the facts. We must ensure that, in all instances, every officer walking into a COVID situation is wearing and has activated a body cam, and where we anticipate meetings that could be justified, we must ensure that they are carried out in compliance with COVID regulations and that they keep all of us safe. We must remember that, in all these COVID regulations, we use the mantra, "We are all in this together", but that also means working together with people in order to establish how things can be better handled going forward.”
“<BR /> <BR />In those circumstances, something should have been worked out ahead of and during those events, which were inevitably going to happen, and there was a window of opportunity where the police could have perhaps worked better with the community to prevent the situation ever arising. It is regrettable that something was not worked out. <BR /> <BR />Social media brings stories and news to us at lightning-fast speed, and, in that context, it can be deeply frustrating to watch people have to do full assessments and to follow the correct procedures when trying to make determinations, particularly in the circumstances that the families faced at the weekend. <BR /> <BR />I put on record that my first instinct was to engage with the police and the families at the time in order to determine what happened.”
“It is with great disappointment that I rise to speak, but the events that happened over the weekend were highly problematic and insensitive to many. When we talk about passing rules on COVID, we all do so from a good place, and the Member is right: in some instances, it lands on the police to enforce those rules. However, with policing always comes the need for sensitivity and the need to recognise that other pillars and other routes must be used before we ever get to enforcement. <BR /> <BR />Grieving is always a difficult process for families, but when you add to that the untimely and brutal murder of a loved one, which is compounded by 29 years, as it is in this case, of seeking truth and justice, there is no doubt that a police officer or any other person will recognise the sensitivities of that situation.”
“It can prove to be a challenge to know exactly what is happening in different Committees at different stages. <BR /> <BR />I thank the members of the Procedures Committee. We are all walking through this together, and, as we experience the difficulties, we are trying to iron them out. I thank Members for their patience. This has been a very safe place to come and express our working patterns and the working difficulties that have been thrown up. <BR /> <BR />We, too, support the motion, and I urge the Speaker, in the discretion that has been afforded to him, and the Speaker's Office to not just encourage Members but to give them the same message that we have given to the public: please use it.”
“<BR /> <BR />When Members are working remotely and from home, there is an expectation on us to keep briefed on what is happening in and outside of the room.”
“Whilst we encourage every Member to participate, every party will have to look at the Order Paper for the day and decide who genuinely needs to be in the Building at any one time. It is a matter of respecting each other in that regard. <BR /> <BR />We asked technical questions about being able to hear. Sometimes the acoustics in the Chamber can be challenging because of the high ceilings. We have been assured that those things have been sounded out and that the sound should come through the speakers here. No doubt, we will work our way through it together. I do not imagine that it will work smoothly on the first day, but I could be wrong. I touch wood that I am wrong and hope that it will work.”
“Hopefully, they will be chaired in the best humour that we can face through these challenging times. It does not, however, allow for the natural debate that happens, be it interventions or the dramatic refusal of interventions that some Members are known for. It is that type of communication that happens in the House. It will be limited, no doubt, through hybrid proceedings, but it is there for a reason. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Committee staff, Clerks and IT staff who are in the process of making this happen. They have been stepping up as quickly as possible, trying to work through the StarLeaf process, which has not been without its problems but has served its function.”
“I thank the Chair of the Procedures Committee, as did the previous Member, for putting on record a clear and concise depiction of what happened in the weeks leading to this point. The Member was right when he said that every party expressed the view that our preference is to be here. Unfortunately, we are not living through times where we get that preference. We owe it to one another. The Assembly is sending out a clear message to the public on the standard that we expect to be met, and hybrid proceedings will allow us to live by the same standards. <BR /> <BR />It came up during debate that we recognise that this is far from a perfect system. I do not envy you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and your colleagues being in the Chair when we go through the initial teething problems that we will inevitably face.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Following on from the previous question — I appreciate that the Minister has been thorough — thankfully, waste has been low, due to the fact that the reserve or standby list has comprised staff who were readily available to turn up on site. Has the Minister any plans to make sure that there is a consistent approach across GP practices to ensure that the reserve lists are built up in a similar fashion and are accessed in a speedy way by those who need them?”
“Thank you, Minister. Many principals and school management teams will be relieved to hear that the money will not come from their central budget. Does the Minister agree that we have a register of qualified, capable, able, willing and waiting substitute teachers who want to engage and to be part of the solution to keep schools open? Will he reach further and engage with those teachers in order to allow them to be active during this time?”
“Will the Minister give an assurance that a scoping exercise has been carried out to ensure that all substitute teachers who benefited from the previous scheme are included in the new one?”
“We must all play our part in making people understand what it is”
“If you are living in an unhealthy relationship, with assaults, threats, humiliation and intimidation or any other abuse that is used to harm or punish or frighten you, there is help. <BR /> <BR />I will close my remarks with a statement by Women's Aid, which was that making domestic abuse or coercive control a criminal offence:”
“Every time we speak about domestic abuse and coercive behaviour, it is important to make known to those living in such circumstances that help is there. That is as true today as it was yesterday and, hopefully, it will be even stronger tomorrow. If you are living in those circumstances, if you feel uncomfortable or oppressed, if you are living your life on eggshells or you cannot quite put your finger on it, stop and think; seek help and have the conversation with those around you. Help is there, and people are willing to listen to your fears. <BR /> <BR />It must be noted that domestic violence is not always physical. Coercive control, in particular, is so difficult to pin down, but it has an escalating effect. A minor attitude to something one day can grow into something completely unhealthy and beyond any bounds.”
“I also want to thank the Speaker's Office and the entire Assembly staff, including the doorkeepers and others who facilitated the Bill's progress by clocking up marathon sessions in the Chamber, sometimes ending in the very small hours. My final thanks, however, must go to those stakeholders and individuals who presented to us the often very ugly facts and truths behind the offence that we are trying to frame here. It has to be noted that their commitment, in the depths of their despair, to helping others is truly humbling to watch. I want to place on record my thanks to them. <BR /> <BR />While today's headlines will, no doubt, quite rightly focus on the delivery of the Bill, a voice must be given to those who formed it and brought it to us.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank again the Justice Committee officials, who worked tirelessly with the Committee throughout the Bill's passage, and the Bill Office, which showed an abundance of commitment to the Bill. Others have broken with protocol, and quite correctly so, to mention Dr Holland, and I too will single out a person for particular mention, not just for the commitment that she showed but for the help and support that she offered me, often at antisocial hours. I am referring to Stephanie Mallon, who was as committed to the Bill as everybody in this Chamber. Departmental officials who appeared at the Committee, including Dr Holland, showed a very open ear, when requested, in their approach to the development of ideas with the Committee. The joint Committee effort in that regard must also be commended on this occasion.”
“Only through proper resourcing can we address the key operational issues that have been raised through the interactions with victims and survivors and hope to reach and help those people properly. <BR /> <BR />Support for victims must continue to be injected in the Bill and through all the agencies that support them. Many of the voluntary stakeholders who we engaged with on many occasions raised with us the issue that the level of resource that they are trying to work with is increasingly difficult. It is sad to say that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers reported have increased and their resource has been stretched even further. So, we must not just thank them but take seriously the work that they do to help victims of domestic abuse, and we must support them.”
“Those victims have found the courage and are trying to rebuild their lives, yet the legal system, as it stands, fails them, because they will be financially broken if a perpetrator who simply will not go away insists on dragging them through the courts. <BR /> <BR />So, there is a shadow that hovers over the Bill, although I accept that the Minister has given a personal commitment to come good on that as soon as it is identified that there will not be a repercussive cost. I hope that that is the final chapter on that issue. <BR /> <BR />To follow up on all the detail that we have included in the Bill, which is vast — Members will be pleased to hear that I will not go over it — it is ultimately true to say that the strength of the Bill will come from it being properly resourced in all its parts.”
“Through education we can explain to people what a healthy relationship looks like and put the markers down for what is wrong in a relationship and what not to expect despite the cycle of abuse that people may have had to live with. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is needed, and while, as presented today, it has much strong content, it is unfortunate that there are things that are not in it. Members will not be surprised to hear me say that one such thing is the need, even on a temporary basis, for the removal of the plans on commencement of legal aid. That is the piece that we heard about repeatedly from victims. During its deliberations, the Justice Committee heard about and really understood the barriers to justice that exist for many victims, and in particular spoke to victims who had been repeatedly dragged through the courts.”
“Equally, I hope that the victims of domestic violence listen today and are empowered by the voices in the Chamber and outside it to reach out and find the confidence to speak up and look for help. There has to be help for those people, and, if there is even a seed of doubt that a relationship that you might be in is not a healthy one, seek help. Have a conversation with somebody who could just act as the leveller to say whether your suspicions are right or help you to identify the seeds of coercive control, because it is a very escalating piece by its very nature. <BR /> <BR />While the legislation speaks largely about delivering justice for those who have become victims of domestic abuse, it also very importantly gives reference to the education piece that the Deputy Chair spoke of.”
“Today, they should hear a clear message from the House that, if they choose to continue with that behaviour, they will commit a criminal offence and, consequently, could be imprisoned. The clock is ticking, and their time is up.”
“I thank Minister Long, who has seen the work through and brought us to this stage, it has to be noted, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, during which everything has been challenged, including the pace of work in this place. The Minister rightly referred to the period of absence, and many of the stories that we heard may have related to a period when that help and assistance was not there. That should not be repeated. <BR /> <BR />It is a significant and important day. Today, we will have the process by which we will criminalise the dark and twisted behaviour that we learned about in detail during our deliberations of not just domestic abuse but the coercive control that it has been very hard to pin down. The perpetrators of those behaviours choose to act in that way.”
“First, as the SDLP spokesperson on justice, I genuinely and warmly welcome the Final Stage of the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Bill. I thank the Chair and the Deputy Chair of the Justice Committee, whose speeches preceded mine, who have covered much of the detail that needed to be covered. I particularly thank the Deputy Chair, who had the courage to list the many people whom we need to thank, and they were many. I particularly single out the individuals who brought their personal testimonies to us. They very much shaped the Bill and are at its heart. <BR /> <BR />On the Bill's origins, my SDLP colleagues who were in the House previously along with stakeholders lobbied hard a plethora of Ministers. Minister Ford committed to taking the matter on during his tenure, and I thank Minister Sugden, who carried that work forward.”
“Thank you, Minister, for the update so far. Given that we do not have the detail of that advice, will the Minister at least give an assurance that, in the event of there not being a repercussive effect, costings have been carried out in the Department on the effect of the Bill as it stands on the legal aid bill as a whole?”
“I hope that Members' conversations and actions this evening assure the Minister that there can be no stalemate. We need an offence of domestic abuse on statute as quickly as possible.”
“If that is the case, we need somebody who will ask, "Has everything that was intended come to fruition?". That is why, particularly at this late stage, the oversight role starts to have more importance than originally foreseen, even though the intention was good. <BR /> <BR />Reporting is also important. We cannot anticipate every eventuality. Therefore, we have to have in place a reporting mechanism, because it will be the critical tool that will tell us whether we need to have additions or amendments to the Bill. It will also tell us where resource should be directed to make the Bill as good as it can be. <BR /> <BR />I do not want to appear like Scrooge, skipping over Christmas, but my mind runs to Final Stage. I do not want there to be any obstacles in the way of the Bill.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important that much of the conversation about issues that we did not manage to progress or get to this stage have not been completely sidelined. They still can come into play. <BR /> <BR />With regard to training, the Scottish model is the perfect example that shows how important it is to get that right. <BR /> <BR />I turn to oversight. The Bill, though good, has, ironically, not had the best process. That has to be admitted by all. We were all very eager to see the Bill across the line, but that created very narrow windows of opportunity for us to scrutinise the fine detail and to come to the House fully informed, as we should do. The oversight role is the tool that can say, "Some of these things have been carried into the Bill on a promise".”
“Like the Member who spoke previously, I will keep my comments brief. I thank the Chairperson of the Committee for Justice for succinctly outlining the Committee position. It was a fair and thorough assessment. <BR /> <BR />The Committee teased out many things along the way. Training, oversight and reporting were three issues that made it into the debate. Members of the House, and members of the Committee, know that there were long conversations about many other issues on the fringes that, for one reason or another, did not progress to this stage. Ultimately, these three important tools sit within the framework that is the offence of domestic abuse. That was the key objective at the initial stages of the Bill.”