Ciara Ferguson
Foyle · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />The Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill instructs the commissioner's office to prepare a strategic plan as soon as reasonably practicable after their appointment to review the effectiveness of the Victim Charter and the Witness Charter at least every three years and to provide annual business plans and reports.”
“Sinn Féin very much welcomes the fact that the Bill is the continued evolution of that work to strengthen the rights of victims and witnesses of crime, including the right of complainants to an opportunity to make oral or written representations to the court about any application, to be present at any hearing of the application and to be…”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill will strengthen protections for complainants in serious sexual offence cases in which pretrial applications for a witness summons are made.”
“It is important because being a victim or a witness of crime is often a traumatic experience that requires dedicated support to recover from. It is important because all victims and witnesses of crime should be subject to a fair and supportive legal system that fully engages with them.”
“Victims and witnesses of crime are entitled to be treated fairly, professionally and with respect in all their interactions with the justice system; to be kept regularly updated, including being provided with relevant information in a timely fashion; and to have their needs considered.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak at Second Stage of the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill. I will begin by acknowledging the importance of the Bill in placing the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of Crime and that office and its functions on a permanent statutory footing.”
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“The Assembly should, in the strong view of my party, apply equal caution to the creation of any system in which children who have committed minor offences or, indeed, who have not been convicted at all, risk having their biometric data retained by the state. We would support a similar approach to Scotland whereby a child's data can be retained for three years for qualifying offences that are considered to be the most serious recordable offences and represent the greatest harm to society unless the police apply for, and are granted by a court, an extension of two further years. As my colleague noted in relation to Paul and his question earlier, those extensions can be granted repeatedly. There is no maximum.”
“I thank the Minister for her intervention, but I am not going to rest the case. This is not Sinn Féin saying this regarding the stigma for young people and the negative impact that it will have on them. This is all the children's rights organisations that came to the Committee and spoke quite clearly of the impact that it will have on our young people. <BR /> <BR />In Scotland, biometric data for those under the age of 18 is captured and retained only for those arrested for violent or sexual offences or otherwise by exception. Since the adoption of that model in 2024, there has been a significant decrease in the number of children who have had their biometric data retained.”
“I am happy to allow the Minister to respond.”
“Clause 1 introduces a new article 63G(3) on persons arrested for or charged with a qualifying offence, which states:”
“The Children's Law Centre clearly set out its serious belief that this will significantly undermine the presumption of innocence and due process. The retention of records casts suspicion on young people who have been, for instance, acquitted, thus implying that they are not wholly innocent.”
“That is a statutory code of practice from 2022, not something from 2013. We want to see it reflected in the terms of reference for the biometrics commissioner for its phase 1 thematic review of biometric data relating to children. In 2020, Scotland took a whole-system approach to youth justice, focusing on keeping children out of the formal justice system as far as possible and with recognition of the principles of proportionality, necessity and presumption of innocence. Due consideration and acknowledgement must be given to the specific risks of stigmatisation of children and young people. Minister, I know that you do not believe that the proposals would cause stigmatisation. However, proposals must marry with our duty to protect and uphold the best interests of a child.”
“Whilst I note that the Bill as drafted includes shorter retention periods for under-18s than for adults, that was carried over from schedule 2 to the Criminal Justice Act (NI) 2013. It was approved 13 years ago, but it has never been commenced. It is now 2026. Sinn Féin supports a stronger differentiation for the special position of children and young people than that which has been proposed. Many of the children's rights organisations also noted their support for that in our Committee meetings. <BR /> <BR />Whilst the Minister suggests a breadth of different retention periods from five years to 25 years for those convicted of a minor offence with a custodial sentence of less than five years but with a previous conviction, we want to see a similar model to that adopted by Scotland, which is set out in a code of practice.”
“I therefore want to focus on a few important amendments tabled by Sinn Féin in relation to restricting the right to retain the biometric data of children and young people under 18. As my party colleague has mentioned today, the Marper ruling in the European Court of Human Rights sets an important precedent in relation to how any blanket or indiscriminate retention must be considered in the context of proportionality and balancing the right to privacy. When it comes to the retention framework of those under 18, Sinn Féin, like many organisations with which the Committee engaged throughout its deliberations on the Bill, remains seriously concerned that the Bill as drafted goes beyond what is necessary.”
“We all have a duty, in the context of prison population pressures and the overall higher youth reoffending rate here, to assess the structural barriers to reintegration following both criminalisation and custody, including the ways in which economic disparity and social alienation are driving reoffending due to unmet need and systematic exclusion, alongside how proposals will contribute to strengthening early intervention, diversion and community alternatives to detention.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to acknowledge that young people and children's rights organisations, including the Children's Law Centre, the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Include Youth, the Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC), Barnardo's, the Youth Assembly and others, highlighted significant concerns about the existing systems that deal with children and young people in the justice system, the negative impacts of the perpetuation of social stigma, which undermine rehabilitation and the prevention of reoffending, alongside the ongoing lack of suitable bail accommodation for children and young people here.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak at the Consideration Stage of this important Bill as a member of the Justice Committee. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge and deeply thank the wide range of organisations, legal professionals and Assembly staff for the extensive work that they have undertaken to support the scrutiny of the proposed legislation during the prolonged Committee Stage. I also thank the young people who engaged with us during a round-table event on the Bill.”
“What can the Department do to ensure that all staff who are at the coalface in supporting the most vulnerable in their homes have access to good training? How can that training be monitored and tracked to ensure that we know that it is having a positive impact on the lives of individuals and their families?”
“On that same issue, Minister, training is critical, given the increasing prevalence of dementia. On a personal note, I care for my mum, who has dementia, and we have caregivers coming into the house twice a day, seven days a week. I reiterate how important it is that staff across care homes, domiciliary care and community services get good training.”
“I thank the First Minister for her answer. Does she believe that a phased approach to the trade union right of access will help ensure that it leads to more constructive relationships between workers and employers?”
“I am absolutely delighted about the investment in our family support hubs. There are eight in my trust area and four in the city. I declare an interest, in that I used to manage the ETHOS family support hub. The hubs do amazing work to support our most vulnerable children and families. I am sure that our hubs are listening in today. Has the Department of Health indicated when the investment will become operational?”
“— before the number of fatalities increases?”
“Minister, you will be aware that, from January 2021 to December 2025, 175 road traffic collisions involving e-scooters, e-bikes and scramblers resulted in 200 injuries, 51 of which were serious, and, sadly, three fatalities. Given that the Justice Department has legislative responsibility for PSNI enforcement powers, such as the power to seize vehicles that are being driven recklessly, does the Minister intend to amend a current Bill or include provision in a forthcoming Bill to ensure that such vehicles can be taken from perpetrators and destroyed —”
“We urgently need to see the commencement of all outstanding protections under the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act 2021, as outlined in the recent Criminal Justice Inspection year 3 review paper. Additionally, we must strengthen the specialist training that is available to professionals; enhance the financial supports available to survivors, including through legal aid; and improve information sharing between civil and criminal courts, while keeping a constant eye on the dynamics and patterns of abuse. <BR /> <BR />We must act collectively and with urgency to challenge absolutely anything that constrains a survivor's capacity for action. We must champion their ability to protect themselves, and often their children, in the toughest circumstances imaginable.”
“Each and every one of us should thank the individuals, male and female, who contributed to that report and had the bravery to share their story.”
“Thank you for that. It is an absolute disgrace that that took place. <BR /> <BR />The ladies whom I have spoken to have raised a range of issues, including the impact of prolonged and repeated litigation, the traumatic effect of direct cross-examination and the feeling of minimisation of the impact of coercive control and financial dependency. The lived reality of survivors is this: the continuum of violence does not and cannot end where justice begins in our current system. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the role of specialist domestic violence court sitting days, the establishment of sexual offences legal advisers (SOLAs) and the recommendations in the 'Totally Invisible' report by the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime.”
“It emphasises how deeply and terrifyingly normalised the harm and heartbreak has become in our society and asks us to tackle the lived reality of how coercive control plays out in the courtroom for so many. <BR /> <BR />To me, as an MLA and, prior to that, a family support coordinator, this is nothing new. It has continued for years. I am so proud of the individual women who have come into my office over the past four years and expressed the experiences that they have gone through. They are such strong women, and they want to see improvements. They wanted to meet the Minister, and the Minister met them on a number of occasions. They wanted to meet the Victims of Crime Commissioner, because they do not want what happened to them to happen to any other woman.”
“Violence against women and girls is one of the most defining challenges of this generation. It is a socially constructed stain on our society that is devastating and inhumane and that, sadly, operates on a continuum. Ending violence against women and girls and ending it for good means identifying the many patterns of behaviour that enable the control, isolation and abuse of women. While some aspects are easier to recognise, such as socially sanctioned misogyny, entitlement, objectification and aggression, others are less visible but require a serious focus. Structures and systems, including our justice system, although not consciously designed to be that way, can uphold and perpetuate gender-based inequality. Sinn Féin's motion recognises the continuum of violence.”
“Obviously, I very much welcome the £2·2 million going to the Western Trust for children's respite care and support. Given the current regional recruitment campaign that will target the recruitment of carers, who, we all know, are the backbone of society, how many is the Minister aiming to recruit and will it be sufficient to meet the current unmet need in respite services?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and for the publication of the independent review. Like everyone else, I pay heartfelt tribute to the family of Katie Simpson. This must be a difficult day, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time. <BR /> <BR />Minister, the review sets it out that, in cases involving coercive control and domestic violence, bail conditions must focus on the safety of victims and their families. Is there a role for you in bringing in new legislation to amend the current bail regulations, and will you commit to including any changes in the Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill or in the forthcoming victims and witnesses Bill?”
“In relation to recruitment and retention, I would like to mention volunteers, particularly those from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). When members of the Committee met with them, the volunteers were running at a very low capacity. At that stage, it was around 50%. Are you aware of that, and will you look at that? There are current members who have done their 13 years of service and now have to leave. They have been told that they cannot, even though it is 15 years elsewhere. Will you also look at that? They are keen to stay on, and they provide an exceptional service.”
“Minister, the Irish people undoubtedly made a significant contribution to America and its struggle for freedom from English rule, particularly during the American War of Independence. Will America250 tell the entirety of that Irish contribution, or is it your intention to confine America250 to a narrow, political and single-community approach to those historic events?”
“<BR /> <BR />Ultimately, of course, I believe that Ireland's place is within the EU via a united Ireland. However, there is much that we can do in the meantime to build closer relationships, and the engagement of both junior Ministers, Minister Muir and MLAs over St Patrick's Day is a good example of that.”
“I praise junior Minister Reilly and junior Minister Bunting for delivering such a positive and proactive message and building closer relationships with friends and colleagues in the EU. <BR /> <BR />All of us, alongside Minister Andrew Muir, attended the Executive Office in Brussels annual St Patrick's Day breakfast. There was plenty of food for thought about the benefits of strategic collaboration between the Executive and the European Union. We discussed, amongst other issues, PEACE PLUS, participation of the North in ERASMUS+, other youth mobility initiatives and economic partnerships. We stand to benefit from deeper engagement with the European Union as a result of dual market access. Events such as the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly are an opportunity to strengthen that engagement.”
“The visit by a number of Members to the EU institutions in Brussels over St Patrick's Day was extremely positive. There are huge benefits to continuously building on relationships with our EU counterparts. I was delighted to take part, alongside Brian Kingston of the DUP, in detailed engagements with the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. The junior Ministers also met the chair of the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, Sandro Gozi MEP. Junior Ministers Aisling Reilly and Joanne Bunting highlighted and advocated the importance of identifying opportunities to strengthen cooperation and shared understanding with the EU.”
“Women can be surrounded by people and still feel unsafe, so the importance of bystander awareness and intervention cannot be overstated. <BR /> <BR />We all have a duty to remember their names and honour their lives by working together, by implementing the strategic framework to end violence against women and girls, and by supporting Women's Aid in its work to challenge attitudes, structures and systems that perpetuate domestic violence. If we support women only when it is easy, nothing will change. Let us speak with one voice. Ending violence against women and girls in our society is everyone's responsibility.”
“Enough is enough. No more families should be left to bury their daughters. No more children should be left to grow up without their mothers. No more women should be shamed, stigmatised and silenced in our society. Whether on our streets, in our schools or workplaces, or in our homes, women deserve to feel safe and be safe. <BR /> <BR />The epidemic of misogyny and violence against women and girls is a public safety crisis, and we have the highest rate of femicide in Europe. It begins with the very fundamentals that we teach our children: equality, respect and responsibility for our own behaviour. It continues into adulthood by never looking the other way and never minimising or normalising misogynist words, actions or behaviour. Even when it feels uncomfortable, we have to call that out.”
“The tragic loss of another young woman's life, in Derry this weekend, is a horrific reminder that we have a long way to go to end the scourge that is violence against women and girls in our society. In fewer than three weeks, three women have lost their lives in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Since 2020, 30 women have been murdered. <BR /> <BR />This recent devastation in Derry city has left two young children without their mother and another family to try to pick up the pieces that should never have been broken. I want to take a moment to express our collective support across the Chamber to Amy Doherty's children, wider family, friends, loved ones and local community in Derry city as they come to terms with the latest tragedy.”
“Thank you, Minister. It is welcome news that the summary report will be published this week. I do not want to pre-empt its publication, but is the environmental monitoring programme guaranteed in your planned budget for the next three years? Is there a funding allocation for the remediation strategy?”
“I welcome the five strands of speeding up justice. Will the Minister throw some light on the £20·5 million transformation money received and what impact that is having to date?”
“Although we all continually stand up for our hard-pressed workers and families and seek to mitigate austerity and cuts, ultimately, the long-term and only real solution is to free ourselves from decision-making from London and prevent ourselves being tied to the punitive policies that successive British Governments have imposed.”
“When Sinn Féin had responsibility for the Department for Communities, we stood over the benefits mitigations and prevented the British Government's cruel bedroom tax from being introduced here. We also continued to press the British Government to address the significant waits that people had for their first universal credit payment, to relink housing costs to housing support and to raise the tax-free childcare support rate. <BR /> <BR />Poverty is a political choice perpetuated by austerity, low wages and inadequate social protections.”
“We need to see that step further bolstered by a strong anti-poverty strategy, the revitalisation of the Housing Executive and a sustainable means of cutting childcare costs for families and support providers. <BR /> <BR />For its part, Sinn Féin is taking action to tackle poverty by introducing legislation today to make consistent holiday hunger payments and to tackle school uniform costs. We will also press the Minister for Communities today to deliver on the anti-poverty strategy, which will have a real impact on people's lives. Let us have clear actions, clear timelines and clear targets and ensure that the strategy is genuinely shaped by the lived experience of people here.”
“<BR /> <BR />I personally thank the Cliff Edge Coalition, Barnardo’s, the Trussell Trust, the Resolution Foundation, the NI welfare mitigations review independent advisory panel, the Women's Support Network, Save the Children and many others for their relentless campaigning. I also thank them for their briefing papers to us in particular to support that view. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin is clear that freedom from poverty is a fundamental right. Removing the two-child limit will be a significant step forward in protecting that right. The two-child cap forced families in all our communities to make an unjustifiable decision about family planning on the basis of their income.”
“Sinn Féin has consistently opposed and directly challenged the British Government since the introduction of the two-child limit. It was the most unconscionable policy. It was a direct attack on working families, and it created hardship among families here. We opposed it because targeting vulnerable children in particular is indefensible. Repeated calls to scrap the cap were in recognition of the fact that that British Government austerity policy punished financially families with more than two children. More than 17,000 children here were left ineligible to receive vital financial support of over £3,500 per child per year through the child element of universal credit. Next month, thanks be to God, we will all finally see the policy's long-awaited removal.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we approach International Women's Day on Sunday and in this endometriosis awareness month, I reiterate our party's support for closing the gender health gap and ensuring that all women have access to the care that they need, no matter where they are.”
“Access to gynaecologists, fertility specialists, incision and colorectal surgeons, urologists, pain management services, pelvic health physiologists and others are fundamental to helping women living with endometriosis. That will improve symptom control, reduce the risks of repeated surgery and support long-term quality of life. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin has consistently advocated compassionate, informed care for endometriosis and worked to tackle systemic failures, stigma and inequality in access to women's healthcare. I commend the work of the Derry Well Women endometriosis support group for its consistent and strong advocacy over the years.”
“Women across Ireland deserve access to timely, accessible and good care for endometriosis. Endometriosis has, for too long, been misunderstood and misaddressed. I was pleased, therefore, to secure confirmation from the Health Minister that plans and investment for endometriosis services will commence in 2026. <BR /> <BR />Delays in diagnosis and treatment for endometriosis can lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility problems, fatigue and lasting damage to women's health due to long-term complications. That does not even cover the significant impacts of endometriosis pain on women's daily lives and activities and the toll on their mental health and well-being. <BR /> <BR />Endometriosis can affect multiple organs and cause complex symptoms. Multidisciplinary specialist services and coordinated care must be urgently provided.”
“Sorry, I have only one minute left. <BR /> <BR />This generation is calling not to manage division but to end it. We remain a strong voice against the ongoing apartheid, occupation and annexation of Palestine and its people, we condemn the US and Israel's recent attacks on Iran, and we continue to strive for the delivery of a peace deal in Ukraine. That serves to highlight the fact that it has never been more important for the people of the island of Ireland to stand together as one, neutral nation in the face of foreign wars and conflicts. <BR /> <BR />We can move forward, not bound by history but guided by it, and leave behind the divisions of yesterday. Through unity, neutrality and self-determination, we can build our resilience and realise the vision for a better and fairer future for all our people.”
“Where British policy undermines the proven success of community-led programmes and interventions that prioritise social inclusion, we must use all the tools that are at our disposal to represent Irish interests and the need for constitutional change to enable the growth of our economy, the betterment of our public services and the protection of youth engagement and empowerment. <BR /> <BR />I will reflect, briefly, on the UUP's amendment, which we will oppose. Let us be very clear that the independence of foreign policy and military neutrality are at the core of what it is to be Irish. As a nation of people who were victims of colonisation, occupation and partition, we reject all calls to participate in foreign wars and conflicts. We absolutely reject imperialism and any moves by Europe towards having a centralised military framework.”
“In constituencies such as mine, in Derry, we know the impacts on our socio-economic fabric of the loss of PEACE funding and are feeling the decline in investment from the loss of the European social fund, unmatched when replaced by Britain's so-called Shared Prosperity Fund. We are all aware of NICVA being a clear example. It has indicated that funding cuts are so severe this year that they threaten the services that help and support those who are the furthest removed from our labour market.”
“If the past decade has evidenced anything, folks, it is that Brexit has been economically, socially and politically detrimental to Ireland and all its people. The presidency must, therefore, be treated as a moment of opportunity at which we assert our position of being visibly and unambiguously anti-partitionist in all content that is driven by the office. We constantly reiterate the European Council's 2017 statement in the context of Britain, and I will mention it again: in the event of a united Ireland, the state would automatically be in the EU. <BR /> <BR />We need to strengthen east-west and North/South cooperation and maximise opportunities for engagement on and investment in our public services. The reality of Britain's false promises is being felt acutely by our community and voluntary sector.”
“I welcome the fact that, from July to December 2026, Ireland will, for the eighth time, hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union. During the six-month EU presidency, Ireland will have the opportunity to steer Council's agenda and its legislative and policymaking process. Irish Ministers and officials will chair meetings of the Council and its preparatory bodies, and Ireland will represent the Council in its interactions with other EU institutions. In June 2026, Ireland will have the opportunity to set out in the presidency policy document its priorities and objectives for the work of the Council during its term. <BR /> <BR />Ireland's presidency will begin from June 2026, exactly 10 years since Britain's reckless and failed Brexit agenda was forced on communities across the North of Ireland by a failing colonial state.”
“While not condemning unequivocally the breaking of international law, will you join me in calling for an immediate end to the conflict and a return to negotiations as the only way forward?”
“<BR /> <BR />Whilst the removal of the limit is progress, it is not enough, because the system has been built and designed to penalise the very people whom it should strive to protect. The answer is not to depend on savage British Governments who impose punitive policies on our people and treat dignity as conditional; it is to build a new and united Ireland that protects children, supports workers and families, and puts the most vulnerable first.”
“The imposition of the two-child limit was one of the cruellest examples of the austerity policy imposed by Westminster. Its removal next month is welcome and long overdue. Thousands of children and families have been harmed by the policy, which strips vital support from those who need it most. Sinn Féin opposed and challenged the measure from the moment that it was introduced because targeting vulnerable children is indefensible. When a Government choose to penalise struggling families, it tells us exactly where their priorities lie. Time and again, decisions taken in London have ignored the realities facing people in the North, regardless of their community. The continuation of cuts under Labour only reinforces that truth.”