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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“Thank you, Minister, for that answer. You mentioned there having been 900 applicants for those administrative roles. Will you provide some further detail on the pilot?”
“Basically, will the Minister go to the Education Authority and discuss with it what can be done to the canteen at St Brigid's, in particular, so that our kids do not need to go home —”
“Thank you for the update, Minister. As you are aware from your recent visit, St Brigid's College was ranked 12 out of 28 on the list. Currently, it awaits five specialist provision classrooms. They will not be delivered until January 2029. It has 14 locations that need minor accessibility work, which will not be completed until February 2028. It has a lack of car parking, and, for the past two years, the Department has been working to try to secure additional car parking. It has no sixth form. However, in particular, nothing has happened to its canteen that was ranked as one of the worst pre-COVID, and, once again, it has been closed down.”
“Thank you, Minister. We are well aware of the empty homes strategy, which has been out of date since 2018. You indicated that you do not plan to refresh the strategy any time soon. Given the significant housing supply crisis that we face, do you not agree that it is time that we refreshed that strategy and put in place proposals to bring empty homes back into use?”
“It also helps break the cycle of poverty and lays the foundation to improve outcomes.”
“Additionally, there is no existing enforcement body to regulate those working under the auspices of estates, sales and lettings here, and that leaves a concerning gap in streamlining standards and safeguarding students, workers and families against rogue traders and unacceptable charges. <BR /> <BR />This week, in the run-up to World Day of Social Justice on Friday, I urge the Department for Communities to place a greater focus on legislative change to improve tenant safety and property conditions and to provide an urgent update to the Assembly on the proposed reform of the Housing Executive. Social housing should be viewed as a tool for social justice and equality. Access to safe and affordable housing levels the playing field for families across our communities.”
“We must have the same ambition and drive to end housing inequality. Our people need to see and feel a real sense of urgency over the proposed reform of the Housing Executive to ensure that it can deliver social housing at scale, as it is so desperately needed in our communities. We need new plans or innovative suggestions to regulate and improve housing standards in the social and private rented sectors, aside from the changes made through the Private Tenancies Act 2022. We need to prioritise and deliver timely repairs and enforcement mechanisms for all failures to address substandard housing conditions.”
“This Friday, 20 February, marks World Day of Social Justice. It is not just a date in the calendar but a call for action, and it reminds us that poverty and inequality are not inevitable but problems that we can solve together, with the right focus and effort. It is the day on which we commit to delivering a society for all by tackling the systemic issues, including poverty and all forms of inequality and discrimination, to deliver a decent standard of living for all. <BR /> <BR />A reliable income and secure housing are fundamental. I commend Minister Archibald for her continued dedication to delivering the biggest upgrade of our employment legislation since the Good Friday Agreement. It will strengthen terms, pay and benefits, voice and representation and work-life balance.”
“Do you agree that the PITSTOP pilot at Altnagelvin on pre-alerts by the NI Ambulance Service and rapid multidisciplinary assessment, which optimises the number of patients who can be treated through thrombectomy and reduces the time between arrival at Altnagelvin and transfer to the Royal Victoria Hospital, should be extended indefinitely whilst phasing in the commencement of a 24/7 thrombectomy service?”
“Thank you for that update, Minister. The benefits of the multidisciplinary Barnahus model in preventing the retraumatisation of children and delivering a justice model that upholds the best interests of a child are really clear. That was going to be my next question: when did you most recently discuss that with our Health Minister? You have answered it inadvertently, but would you like to continue, to give us the latest update?”
“I want to finish; I still have a lot to get through. <BR /> <BR />Whilst Britain can expect to live with the damage of Brexit for a generation or longer, we have a different story to tell. Our destiny is ours to make, and that includes all of us here. History is unfolding. We must now build on the opportunity to progress the reunification of our country and deliver a new, united and fair Ireland for all.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is clear that Brexit has intensified mainstream conversations regarding the need for a referendum on Irish unity. That is the reality. There have been encouraging signs of growing support for Irish unity in successive electoral results, demographic changes, contributions from civil society and public commentary. Whilst Brexit did not have the consent of the people in the North, I am certain that our future return to the EU can be achieved through a new Ireland based on consent. Consent is built by reaching out. A classic example of that was how our Irish president spoke in the city of Derry last week. Others could learn something from that example of mutual respect and understanding and apply it in their own engagements.”
“We also secured the declaration from the European Council of its decision that, in the event of a united Ireland, we will be given automatic membership of the European Union. <BR /> <BR />Whilst we recognise the value of this well-intentioned motion, which emphasises the need to reduce checks through custom arrangements, our overall focus remains on looking beyond that and towards a return to full EU membership through unification. At all times, we must be focused on finding solutions to minimise the frictions created by Brexit and maximise the opportunities of dual market access. Therefore, additional support must be urgently provided to local businesses to enable them to operate to their full potential under the terms of the protocol. The immediate establishment of an EU office in Belfast is also a means to deliver that.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is a fact that Brexit was and remains a disastrous act of economic self-harm of which the British Government and the unionist parties here were well warned, a warning that they blatantly ignored. The majority of citizens here voted to remain in the European Union. Despite Britain's total disregard for that reality, our aspirations for a better future for our people remain our focus. That is why we and other Remain parties in the Chamber pushed to secure dual market access. As a result, we have managed to stave off the worst excesses of Britain and the DUP's failed Brexit agenda. We went on to secure vital assurances that there would be no diminution of our hard-won rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity, as protected in the Good Friday Agreement.”
“As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, it is clear that communities across the North still feel the effects of that disastrous decision to leave the EU. We can take the recent example of the British Government's promise to fully replace the lost EU funding. That was never going to happen. Now, we face a crisis in the community and voluntary sector born out of the lies and deceit of the British Government. Ordinary people are paying the price for false promises and a reckless Brexit agenda. The party opposite proclaimed that it could live with 40,000 job losses: how does it square that with the reality faced by our hard-working community groups and of the ordinary workers who are on the verge of losing their jobs?”
“Increased speeds along the Derry line would be welcomed by those who live along that route. Will the Minister provide an update on the Derry to Coleraine phase 3 project?”
“Minister, I am sure that you will agree that the development of an online Irish dictionary is to be warmly welcomed. Will you confirm the quantum of funding from the Department to support that initiative?”
“we want to deliver a new Ireland in which all women and girls can live free from violence, exploitation, harassment or control; an Ireland that upholds and protects the fundamental rights to dignity, justice and equality; and an Ireland in which women and children are safe inside the home, respected in public places and protected fully in both the physical world and the online world.”
“We must deliver improved all-Ireland collaboration on the issue among criminal justice agencies and front-line responders. We must focus on how to best ensure that our shared focus is grounded in the lived experience of survivors. <BR /> <BR />A chairde,”
“While the purchase of sex has been criminalised across Ireland, there exists a continuing challenge around tackling the proliferation of websites that provide online hubs for traffickers and exploiters. We must expand community-based education and awareness of issues such as grooming, coercion, consent, exploitation and the different forms of gender-based violence and sexual abuse. We need to strengthen the regulation of online platforms and modern technology to eradicate the facilitation of profiteering from exploitation. <BR /> <BR />Tackling exploitation and human trafficking requires us to tackle the structures that drive inequality, exploitation and abuse. We have a duty to strengthen regulations that apply to the digital sphere, including AI tools.”
“We have a duty to tackle the continued exploitation of vulnerable groups, including those experiencing homelessness or addiction issues, migrant women and those living in abject poverty. <BR /> <BR />Child sexual exploitation is utterly devastating. The statistics and research suggest a particular link between children who have been reported missing from residential care homes and child sexual exploitation. The hidden nature of human trafficking and its under-reporting remain a significant challenge. Other aspects, including language barriers, immigration status and educational under-attainment can support the enablement of those horrific crimes. <BR /> <BR />We need strengthened all-Ireland collaboration between the PSNI's modern slavery and human trafficking unit and the gardaí's human trafficking investigation and coordination unit.”
“We must unite to tackle all forms of sexual exploitation and human trafficking, including child sexual exploitation. That requires a holistic approach to strengthening our legal frameworks, tackling poverty and deprivation and expanding awareness around trafficking, coercion and exploitation. <BR /> <BR />I will acknowledge, briefly, some of the brilliant work being undertaken by the likes of the NSPCC and Barnardo's to raise awareness of the issues. Prostitution and the wider sex trade industry are highly gendered. Additionally, they are inextricably linked with other intersectional identities, with many women entering that industry as a result of coercion due to their experience of poverty, human trafficking or grooming.”
“I welcome the motion and thank the Members who tabled it, because we all know that victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking are oftentimes among some of the most vulnerable and traumatised individuals in our communities. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Justice strategy on modern slavery and human trafficking for 2024-27 rightly focuses on the relentless pursuit and disruption of offenders, the protection and support of victims and the longer-term prevention of those practices, including through awareness raising and training. Arguably, the fourth "p" is about strengthening partnership and collaboration on the issue, and we therefore very much welcome the opportunity to engage further with the recently established all-party group on human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.”
“Cooperation and collaboration on research and treatment pathways for rare diseases offer clear benefits for people across the island, particularly given the population that we have across the island. Minister, you stated that there is a commitment to promoting and strengthening that work, and you mentioned exploration of a metabolic network. Will you outline the practical actions being taken to support and advance that across the island?”
“We must strive to deliver proactive, inclusive and ethical policies.”
“While I welcome its formal investigation of X, Ofcom also should reflect on the leadership required by being willing to label such content as unlawful and unethical urgently. I welcome the fact that the European Commission has now opened an investigation as well. <BR /> <BR />To conclude, I recognise our Executive's strategic framework to end violence against women and girls. The framework rightly recognises the fact that online abuse normalises unacceptable behaviour, inhibits women and girls from expressing themselves and can have long-lasting impacts. Services here must be suitably equipped to provide consistently high standards of specialist, sensitive, trauma-informed care in response to cases of that nature. As AI systems evolve, so must our protections across the island.”
“<BR /> <BR />Developing understanding among children and young people of the harms caused by violating a person's consent, dignity and privacy is key. However, the focus, in the first instance, must be on adequately tackling the perpetrators of digital, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and holding to account all platforms that enable them. Perpetrators must not be able to evade responsibility or hide behind a veil of anonymity due to weak or inadequate regulation. To that end, I acknowledge my colleague, Emma Sheerin, who condemned the owners of X, formerly known as Twitter, for their inadequate response to the use of the AI tool Grok on that platform. Disgracefully, X placed the feature behind a paywall, which served only to monetise the harms being inflicted, rather than remove it altogether.”
“I therefore acknowledge Safer Schools NI, which has created a guide for schools on preventing and responding to AI-generated image exploitation, alongside its guidance for parents and carers and its staffroom briefing PowerPoints and checklists. I also want to promote the Safeguarding Board and PSNI's Trust Trap online safety campaign, which is delivered as part of the online safety strategy. The campaign aims, through social media graphics and a campaign toolkit, to educate young people and adults about online abuse prevention and how to report it. The project also aims to reduce the number of children who fall victim to fake profiles, grooming and sextortion. Importantly, it also reassures those who feel in crisis that they are not to blame and works to enhance the confidence to report, alongside signposting to available supports.”
“I also acknowledge that the legislation was named after Nicole Fox Fenlon from Clondalkin, who was affectionately known by her loved ones as "Coco". Tragically, Nicole took her own life at the age of 21, after being abused physically and online for three consecutive years. <BR /> <BR />Reports indicate a growing issue of AI-generated, non-consensual, sick, sexually explicit content being created and shared among adults and young people alike throughout Ireland. As recently as last week, we became aware of active investigations having been launched in respect of that very issue for the protection and safety of local schoolchildren.”
“That is vital to ensuring that platforms, rightly, are held to account in taking immediate, proactive steps to prevent and remove harmful content. <BR /> <BR />As my colleague Aoife mentioned, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 in the South of Ireland, commonly known as "Coco's law", criminalises the recording or distribution of intimate images without consent. That legislation is a vital tool in increasing prosecutions of such offences and empowering those who have been victims of such contemptible crimes. Sinn Féin fully supports Ireland's AI Advisory Council recommendation that Coco's law be strengthened to include a specific offence of creating deepfakes without consent, and we will pursue that in the Oireachtas.”
“Whilst the rapidly expanding development and use of artificial intelligence provides many benefits in productivity, enhanced innovation and economic growth, there is another side to it that we are all becoming way more aware of and that is enabling the exacerbation and acceleration of violence against women and girls in our society. I acknowledge the proposer of the motion's specific focus on the creation and sharing of degrading, non-consensual, sexually explicit images, including AI-generated deepfake images. <BR /> <BR />Under section 138 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, it is a criminal offence to create or request the creation of non-consensual intimate images. In addition, work is under way to make non-consensual sexual deepfakes a criminal offence under the Online Safety Act 2023.”
“According to that research report, at the end of October 2025, there were 97 ongoing non-fatal strangulation cases in the Crown Court and 263 in the Youth Court and the Magistrates' Court. What engagement, if any, have you, Minister, had to date with the Minister of Education about the development of a targeted educational piece for young people on non-consensual strangulation?”
“<BR /> <BR />I emphasise to the Minister for Communities that it is unjustifiable in that context for his party's amendment to suggest a review of the house sales scheme. The Minister has been in office for almost two years, during which time he has enabled the continuation of a scheme that sells our public social housing stock at a discounted rate of up to £24,000. That is a far cry from the radical action on housing that is desperately needed. We must plan properly, invest consistently and treat housing as essential infrastructure that underpins education, health, employment and community life. Delivering social housing at scale and delivering better housing policy are not optional extras; they are the measures of our commitment to the people we represent.”
“While around 34% of housing back then was social rented accommodation and almost all of that was owned or managed by the Housing Executive, Thatcher's unmitigated disaster of a policy means that, despite that growth, we have been left with approximately 80,000 Housing Executive homes. To put that in context, we lost 212 homes in 2024 and 2025 alone. Meanwhile, the Housing Executive's annual spend on temporary accommodation increased by 16% last year to nearly £40 million. That included a spend of almost £17 million on non-standard accommodation, such as hotels and B&Bs, with Derry accounting for over half of that figure. Those two realities existing in tandem is not only totally illogical but irreconcilable and fiscally irresponsible.”
“As of October 2025, 5,408 households here were living in temporary accommodation. That is an increase of 85% over the past five years and includes 4,834 children under the age of 18. Rising house prices, rising rents and rising homelessness cannot be adequately addressed without tackling the chronic undersupply of social housing and developing more genuinely affordable housing. While we very much welcome the move by the previous Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey, in 2022 to abolish Housing Association tenants' statutory right to buy, the need to address the continued loss of Housing Executive properties remains. <BR /> <BR />In 1974, there were approximately 455,500 dwellings across all housing sectors in the region; now, we have 841,872.”
“It has outlined the poor policymaking on local housing allowance rates, which are upgraded only occasionally and then frozen for years at a time. We have a duty to recognise the failure of Britain's policy and to do all that we can to explore local options for a more regulated and fairer private rented sector. We ask for support for our amendment, which calls on the Minister for Communities:”
“We ask all parties to support us. <BR /> <BR />Folks, we know about the incredibly worrying situation for low-income and vulnerable households in particular. The ever-increasing shortfall between tenants' financial housing support and rental costs leaves many families facing arrears or looming homelessness. The recent decision by the British Government to freeze the rate at which housing benefit is set until at least 2027, against a backdrop of insufficient supply and rising rents, is shameful and will lead directly to homelessness. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Institute for Fiscal Studies for outlining that a tight financial situation is no excuse for a system that creates uncertainty for renters and unfairness between areas.”
“Notably, it is welcome that, since autumn 2024, her Department has been able to unlock waste water capacity to enable future connections for almost 5,000 new homes, including the allocation of an additional £19·5 million to NI Water from the October monitoring round, enabling the building and connection of 2,300 new homes across Derry, Antrim and Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />I commend the proposer on the motion's intention, particularly the recognition of the ongoing challenge of rapidly rising rents across the region. Last April, our data was incorporated into the price index of private rent and house prices, which found that, as of September 2025, average rents had increased by 6·4% on the previous year to £871 and average house prices had increased by 7·1% from the same quarter in the previous year to £193,000.”
“<BR /> <BR />I commend the Finance Minister for allocating £29·8 million to meet in full the Department for Communities bid for the social housing development programme, enabling the much-needed delivery of up to 1,750 new home starts in 2025-26. I also acknowledge the role of the Minister for Infrastructure in continually emphasising the historical underfunding of our water infrastructure and working to secure additional funding through in-year monitoring and strengthening collaboration and innovation to tackle that ongoing challenge.”
“I begin by reiterating the fact that the right to housing is a fundamental human right enshrined in international law. Every person should have the right to live in security, peace and dignity, but, as of 30 September 2025, there were 49,588 household applicants on our social housing waiting list. Of those, over 77% were deemed to be in acute housing stress. Furthermore, significant concerns exist in relation to the continuation of an unregulated, unaffordable and insecure private rented sector. Coupled with the lack of support to date from the British Treasury to allow our largest social housing sector landlord to borrow more money to build more social homes, that means that we face an ever-worsening situation where demand far outstrips supply, fuelling unaffordability, substandard conditions and housing insecurity.”
“We continue to refuse to allow you to mix and stir real fear amidst our working-class communities in the full knowledge that Brexit is a child of the DUP. Let us be clear here: responsibility for the current Brexit outworkings stands firmly at your door. That is an indisputable fact. It is time to own that fact.”
“We protected dual market access and provided businesses with strengthened trade continuity and economic stability through the implementation of the Windsor framework agreement. Whilst it is now for the European Union and the British Government to work through the challenges arising from Britain's failed Brexit agenda, in truth, the DUP is all too aware of that, too. However, with elections looming, its Members want to bring another nonsense motion as though they can rehash fundamental protections that we have already managed to secure. <BR /> <BR />While the DUP dismissed the real warnings that Brexit would be bad for so many sectors in the North and for our economy, and whilst the British Government ignored the democratic mandate of our people, we began working to secure fundamental protections against the very worst excesses.”
“Here we are again, with the DUP attempting to stoke up fears in relation to customs in the full knowledge that global customs are undergoing significant changes in relation to e-commerce in the EU, the US and, indeed, Britain, including in the removal of low-value import exemptions in major markets. However, I stand confident as ever that the public see the motion for the political stunt that it is. Rather than breathing any air into it, I remind those in the Benches opposite that, despite the DUP's backing Britain's failed Brexit agenda, we managed to mitigate some of the very worst excesses of their act of political sabotage on our island, on our businesses and on our people.”
“As we enter 2026, with its reminder that we are a decade on from the 2016 referendum, have you honestly yet to recognise that denial does not alter the reality and that your continued wilful ignorance is not a strategy? <BR /> <BR />Whilst we are a decade on from being dragged out against our will, we refuse to allow that to manifest in continuing ignorance of the needs of people and businesses. Let us all work collectively to deliver an EU office in Belfast.”
“Simply put, we will continue to advocate for sensitivity to Irish interests and the needs of our people, including the many with a birthright to Irish citizenship and, by virtue of that, to European citizenship. <BR /> <BR />To finish, I direct my remarks at those parties in the Chamber who may wish to continue to put their heads in the sand and who fear this constructive step, alongside the more recently elected Government in Britain, whose silence on the matter is deafening. We hear the concerns and the voices of people, traders and businesses here who require additional support. We advocate for the benefit of our people and our economy, and, therefore, we once again say that you have a duty to act to establish an EU office in Belfast and to allow it to carry out technical and diplomatic support functions for our people.”
“I also recognise the MEPs who were part of the European Parliament's delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly and, rightly, recognised and emphasised the potential of such an office to support people and businesses in getting assistance to navigate legislation that is applicable to them and benefit wholly from the unique opportunities that arise from dual market access here. <BR /> <BR />We are over half a decade on from the British Government's rejection of the request by the EU and the pro-Remain parties here to have a permanent EU office in Belfast. Our call remains as steadfast as ever, despite the passage of time.”
“However, for the people of Ireland, our businesses and our economic potential, the reality is that the opening of an EU office in Belfast will provide a much-needed channel for local businesses and citizens. We should all want to enhance any and every opportunity and practical step that there is to strengthen the confidence and security of local businesses and traders, whilst making this region a pivotal location for increased exports, additional good jobs and economic growth. <BR /> <BR />I briefly acknowledge those in TradeNI who have emphasised that it would help them greatly to have someone on the ground who is immediately contactable.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Our motion is about choosing to apply common sense and improve the communication, engagement and support that is available to local businesses, which would be to the benefit of the economy as a whole. <BR /> <BR />I will not labour the point this evening, but I begin by reminding everyone that, despite the significant opposition here to Brexit, we were dragged out of Europe against the democratic wishes of the majority of our citizens. That has brought with it new challenges and technical issues, particularly for those who are navigating hurdles in trade and regulatory alignment. Whilst the previous British Government were hostile to the concept of an EU office in Belfast, the current Government have also declined to comment. That should surprise no one here, as Britain acts in its own interests only.”
“Is the Department on track to deliver the plan in association with that programme?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. I very much hope that all goes well in the meeting with the chair and vice chair of the Criminal Bar Association in bringing forward the road map and evidence gathering. <BR /> <BR />Back in December 2024, Minister, you published the enabling access to justice reform programme and described it as an "ambitious" programme of reform aimed at ensuring that:”