Connie Egan
North Down · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“As the Minister referenced in her opening remarks, creating a legislative assumption that hate crime victims are to be treated as being eligible for assistance on the grounds of fear and distress will give them deeper assurance that they will not be put into a traumatic and distressing situation in which they are forced to engage with the…”
“Being a victim of or a witness to a crime can be one of the most traumatic and challenging periods in one's life. It is therefore vital that, when entering the justice process and throughout it, people have confidence that it will be as fair, trauma-informed and comprehensive as possible.”
“Minister Long's proactive step to create that role before the legislation was introduced served the dual purpose of giving victims and witnesses as much of a voice as possible in the here and now and testing some of the responsibilities that could end up in primary legislation.”
“When I speak to victims who have engaged with the commissioner's office and ask them about their experience, their answer is always one that is grateful in nature. They highlight the importance of having someone independent who listens to them and engages with their experience.”
“Clause 27 addresses a future legal gap caused by the implementation of direct committal, limiting the power to dismiss charges involving the death or serious physical harm of a child or vulnerable person. <BR /> <BR />Part 3 provides for the creation of regulations and orders, including the commencement of the provisions.”
“Clauses 24 and 25 add offences that involve aggravation by hostility, otherwise known as "hate crimes", to the list for which witnesses are eligible for special measures.”
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“Acting now is exactly what my colleagues and I have been doing. My colleagues in Ards and North Down Borough Council have been pressing the council to take action. There is a pressing need for strategic coastal protection measures, but the scale of the required works extends beyond the council's available resources, despite its ownership of the harbour. It is a predicament that other coastal communities across Northern Ireland find themselves in too. The Department for Infrastructure, which is responsible for flood risk management and assisting councils on how to bring forward local development plan proposals that take account of climate change adaption, must step up to the plate.”
“To quote the report published by Donaghadee Community Development Association and Donaghadee Sailing Club:”
“Clear warnings have been issued by the community with a sustained evidence base, as collated in the 2024 report, 'An Iconic Harbour Under Threat'. The report was produced by the Donaghadee Sailing Club and Donaghadee Community Development Association. It highlighted that, when considering the harbour's design and the impacts of climate change, action must be taken to prevent further hazardous disruption. It was published as a foreboding tale two years ago, and its predictions are now manifesting at an even greater scale and quicker speed than had been imagined.”
“Today I press for urgent action to protect our coastal communities from the impacts of climate change, including the erosion of our sea walls and the increased frequency of flooding. <BR /> <BR />Last week, the need for robust measures was again brought into sharp focus when extreme weather conditions deteriorated and partially collapsed Donaghadee's sea wall along the Parade, where the shore front meets critical infrastructure, including the A2. That posed an immediate risk to both public safety and essential infrastructure in the surrounding area, with the potential of strong floods threatening homes and causing local businesses to close. <BR /> <BR />As we know, sea levels are rising worldwide, leaving coastal towns and villages at risk during high tides and storm surges.”
“New potholes appear in my constituency every day, and the timescales from when they are reported to them being fixed seem to be getting longer and longer. Do you know the average time frame within which potholes on our roads are repaired? What can you do to speed it up?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is important to correct the record after what Mr Gaston just said. I excused myself from all proceedings on the matter in the Standards and Privileges Committee because I had an interest. It is important to put that on the record; I do not want it to be misrepresented by anybody.”
“Thank you, junior Minister. Given that progress on ending violence against women and girls needs to be sustained over the long term, how will Ministers in the Executive Office ensure that the outcomes of the programmes under the framework are embedded across Departments and continue beyond individual funding cycles?”
“I urge everyone in the House to support the passage of the motion and the protections contained in it.”
“Troublingly, strangulation and choking during sex has become normalised among young people, particularly young men, and puts people's lives at risk. The policy will provide a further tool in our efforts to protect women and eradicate violence against women and girls. <BR /> <BR />There is also, of course, the criminalisation of the creation or possession of child sexual abuse image generators. The rapid development of AI means that we are fighting child abuse on more fronts than ever. That measure will put in place an additional protection to help keep children safe. It will also complement a wider package of measures being delivered by Alliance, which will include the Minister's work on deepfakes and Kate Nicholl's amendment to the Justice Bill on nudification apps.”
“The Alliance Party supports the legislative consent motion on the relevant provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill. The legislation covers a vast number of offences, all of which will help improve public safety and deter crime across the region. I will briefly note a few specific examples in order to highlight the work that Minister Long and the Department of Justice have been progressing over the past months. <BR /> <BR />The legislative consent motion will bring new restrictions on bulk-buying knives. PSNI statistics show that, last year, over 500 violent or sexual crimes in Northern Ireland involved the use of knives. The new law will help stamp out knife crime and keep communities safe. The motion will also bring in new offences relating to pornography that portrays strangulation and suffocation.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is positive that our approach in Northern Ireland is not to criminalise those victims but instead, through the national referral mechanism (NRM), to provide holistic, wrap-around support when they come forward. It is only with understanding that we can move the dial forward on such horrific crimes. <BR /> <BR />It is right that we refresh our enthusiasm and focus on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation, particularly 10 years after the passing of legislation in that area. Much can happen in that time, but our reflections must be grounded in the evidence of victims and survivors and others who are working at the coalface. Sexual exploitation through trafficking must be ended. Together, as an Assembly, we can work to ensure that as many barriers to perpetrators as possible are built to end these horrific crimes.”
“That is what some have described as "the Etsy of exploitation". There are hundreds of women and girls listed on that website each day. They are victims of trafficking, who are controlled and forcibly moved around the island weekly, because those purchasing sex demand new and unfamiliar faces. Those women and children often blame themselves for being put in that position and, in fear of prosecution or shame, are too embarrassed to come forward to justice agencies for help if the opportunity arises. However, in reality, we know that they are victims — victims of commercial exploitation and trafficking — and that they must be protected.”
“I thought that it would be pertinent to share what that exploitation looks like in 2026, 10 years on from Lord Morrow's Act, during which time technology and the tactics used in commercial sexual exploitation have evolved. We learned from those who are actively monitoring the trafficking that, on this island, one dominant website advertises women for sale in such a way that it is as easy as ordering a takeaway. That website uses coded language, outfits and emojis to indicate the age range of those on the platform and the services that they provide. Worryingly, that includes specific indicators that facilitate the exploitation of those who are under 18. Users — more often than not, men — scroll and select who they would like to engage with, based on photographs and the accompanying listing.”
“<BR /> <BR />Telecommunications is a reserved matter for Westminster, so it is right that the motion focuses on pressing the UK Government for further enforcement and penalties for exploitative practices online. That runs alongside the work that the Department of Justice already undertakes locally through its modern slavery and human trafficking strategy. <BR /> <BR />Last week, along with colleagues, I attended the launch of the APG's inquiry into the regulation of websites that advertise sex for sale. We heard from those who are working to tackle the commercial sexual exploitation of women across these islands, and from women with lived experience of that exploitation.”
“Modern slavery and human trafficking is an incredibly hidden, gendered form of abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls globally. It is, of course, under-reported, so, data-wise, understanding its true extent is still a work in progress. It is with that in mind that we, as an Assembly, must take all steps possible to support the investigation that the Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner's office announced into adult services platforms in August of last year. The purpose of that investigation is to create an evidence base and make a series of recommendations on the best way to disrupt the exploitative online practices that result in the trafficking and sexual exploitation of individuals in the UK.”
“On behalf of the Alliance party, and as vice chair of the all-party group on modern slavery and sexual exploitation, I will respond to the motion that my DUP colleagues tabled. Let me start by being totally clear. Human trafficking and modern slavery totally undermine what should be a fundamental foundation of our society: the freedom, dignity and choices of one another. Holding another against their will or forcing an individual into unwanted sexual acts for payment is abhorrent and criminal in the strictest terms. That includes when it is facilitated by adult services websites. <BR /> <BR />The UK Anti-slavery Commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, said that, in 2024, almost 5,000 women and girls in the UK were identified as being victims of sexual exploitation and that that was only the tip of the iceberg.”
“Thank you, Minister. That is really important for women and their families. Given the significant emotional and physical impact of miscarriage, will that paid leave be a day-1 entitlement?”
“<BR /> <BR />The use of AI in the targeting and harassment of women and girls is of extreme concern to my party colleagues and me. It is the victims who suffer the most when there are no consequences for such crimes. Action must be proactive and keep pace —”
“The timeline of that and the particular clauses that had been placed in the Data Act meant, in part, that it was not possible for the legislation to be introduced in Northern Ireland as that was not the correct vehicle for doing so. <BR /> <BR />I understand that the Committee was pleased to support the Minister's intention to bring in the provisions through an amendment to the Justice Bill at Consideration Stage to ensure that the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes of adults in Northern Ireland will become a criminal offence as soon as possible. I commend Minister Long for not allowing that legislation to fall through the cracks and her Department's team for working tirelessly at the last minute to ensure that the provisions are included as quickly as possible and in the most effective legislative vehicle.”
“I question, however, why the UK Government only commenced that Act's provisions in January this year after incidents related to Grok and X, when there could have been a much more proactive instigation of the law. <BR /> <BR />As a member of the Justice Committee, I recall the Minister's communication in the spring of last year, which highlighted the fact that that legislation was originally contained in Westminster's Crime and Policing Bill, on which she had been planning to bring a legislative consent motion. However, the relevant clauses in that Bill were withdrawn in the final stages and placed in the Data Act instead.”
“<BR /> <BR />Alliance welcomes the fact that the UK Government have recently made commitments to take action on the issue. Members from across the Chamber will be aware that sections of the Online Safety Act 2023 that legally compel social media companies to carry out an illegal content risk assessment for UK users came into force in March last year. The Online Safety Act also made it a priority offence to share or threaten to share intimate images of someone without their consent. <BR /> <BR />Using software to generate sexual deepfakes became a criminal offence in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in June 2025.”
“We need robust and strong action from all Governments — here in the Assembly, at Westminster and internationally — to safeguard people from the dangers of artificial intelligence. <BR /> <BR />As the motion implies, artificial intelligence is being weaponised as a tool to demean and silence women, girls and other marginalised groups. The '2023 State of Deepfakes' report found that there had been a 550% increase in deepfakes from 2019 to 2023, with 98% of all deepfake videos online being explicitly pornographic. The grotesque use of AI in that way is nothing short of repulsive. Sadly, the creation of deepfakes is not the only use of AI for those who want to harm women and girls online, and we must find ways to keep legislative pace with quickly evolving technological advancements.”
“I thank my colleagues in the SDLP for tabling the motion in light of recent documented use of AI to perpetrate gender-based abuse. I also thank Cara for speaking out about her experiences. She was very brave to do so. <BR /> <BR />Technology-facilitated gender-based violence can seem distant when viewed on a smartphone or laptop screen or read about in the news, but the creation of abuse such as deepfakes comes from a real person making a choice to harass, humiliate and attack and from making real people, more often than not women and girls, the victims of those choices, and they are then left to deal with the real-world consequences. My Alliance Party colleagues and I continue to support the motion's condemnation of:”
“I welcome today's debate on the motion, because, every day, technologies utilising artificial intelligence facilitate online violence at an increasingly alarming rate. We know that it can happen to anyone — anybody can be a victim — but the evidence points to the fact that it is a gendered issue, particularly when we have data that reveals that 99% of victims of deepfake pornography are women and girls. The use of AI globally is providing fuel for campaigns of abuse at the click of a button and providing more opportunities than ever to undermine and attack women online for simply daring to exist. <BR /> <BR />Motions on working together to end violence against women and girls have come to the Chamber on multiple occasions during the mandate.”
“Thank you, Minister. Will you please outline the amount that we are spending on criminal legal aid per capita and how that compares with the rest of the United Kingdom?”
“The amendment to the motion mentions ensuring ample accommodation for visitors to the fleadh during its week-long programme. I encourage attendees to come to places such as Bangor: it has lots of family-run B&Bs and is only a short train journey from Belfast city centre. <BR /> <BR />Music is meant to be shared from person to person and tradition to tradition. The fleadh's presence in Northern Ireland is an excellent example of building our legacy of belonging and world-class talent, and I am really looking forward to it.”
“Bangor has always been a place of talent worthy of the world stage, and the fleadh fringe event will be a brilliant opportunity to demonstrate our rich musical heritage. That is emphasised by the fact that the UK Pipe Band Championships are scheduled to take place in Bangor on the same day, creating ample opportunity for residents and tourists to experience an abundance of musical talent. Organisers of both events have welcomed that crossover, appreciating the positive opportunity that it will present. <BR /> <BR />Our local community is already excited, with town centre businesses and community organisations having established an informal committee to help local businesses, hospitality providers and retailers to prepare the offering for the day.”
“It has been a pleasure to engage with my constituents Bronagh and Niall and everyone on the committee at Ards CCÉ on their vision for the fleadh and to attend the announcement at Belfast City Hall, where musicians of different traditions and cultures came together to celebrate the legacy of music in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I am particularly pleased that the first fringe event will take place in my home town of Bangor the day before the fleadh's official opening. The city has long been seen as a destination for celebrating music of all genres and traditions, whether it be the hugely successful Snow Patrol and Two Door Cinema Club, up-and-coming bands such as the Florentinas or music that is at the heart of our local communities, such as that of Ards CCÉ, our local pipe band association or Bangor Ladies Choir.”
“I give my enthusiastic support to the forthcoming fleadh in Belfast for the enriching musical and cultural experience that it will create and the opportunity that it will present for a boost to economic and tourist activity across our region. <BR /> <BR />This place has long had a rich tapestry of musical talent and heritage, and it is fantastic that the opportunity has come up for us to present it on the world stage. The efforts to bid for the fleadh would not have been possible without the host branch, Ards CCÉ, a group of musicians from across the North Down and Ards area who have long championed the need to give a platform to traditional music across all our communities.”
“Does the Member agree that Ards CCE has been at the forefront of ensuring that the fleadh is an inclusive festival that everybody — people from Northern Ireland and visitors alike — can take part in?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. I agree with colleagues across the House that the impact that this will have on victims and witnesses is extremely concerning. Will the Minister expand on and explain the types of cases that are being held to ransom by the CBA's withdrawal of service?”
“Minister, will you support the Justice Minister in intensifying engagement with the UK Government on meeting legacy costs, which will otherwise be unaffordable from the Budget allocation?”
“Thank you. Everybody in the Chamber wants to see more social homes being built. Do you have the figures? How many of the 1,750 homes will be in our constituency?”
“Does the Member agree that, in both our constituencies, we see the presence of paramilitaries and how they exploit poverty? There are two Communities in Transition (CIT) areas in North Down. There are loan sharks exploiting those in poverty. That is why we need a cross-departmental approach and different agencies to come on board in order to tackle the root causes of poverty.”
“I look forward to hearing all the other contributions, and I will listen with an eagerness to collaborate and deliver positive change together for all our communities.”
“<BR /> <BR />No one type of person experiences poverty. I really hope to see that reflected in the anti-poverty strategy. There are those who cannot work for a variety of reasons, including caring responsibilities and accessibility needs, and there are those who can. In fact, a significant majority of people who are in poverty, which is 60% of such adults, live in households with someone who works, but the work-first approach does not adequately combat poverty when other significant barriers, such as poor health, unaffordable childcare and housing, are not being addressed. <BR /> <BR />I thank all who spoke to me in anticipation of today's debate. I hope that you feel that it reflects what you had to say. Thank you for the work that you do and the work that keeps so many people in our constituency surviving and living.”
“<BR /> <BR />Ultimately, we need the council and DFC to work with our community and voluntary sector partners to ensure that funding is distributed on the basis of need and is proportionate to the population of the local area. It is really unfortunate that many of the community groups to which I speak cite councils and Departments as being the most difficult partners to work with. They cite the length of application forms for relatively small grants; the amount of paperwork and monitoring that are involved; and the timescales in which funding is received competing with the need to spend it by the end of a financial year. I do not think that that is a situation that any of us want to see or be in. We need all of us to work together and our councils and Departments to support our community partners.”
“For example, in the BT19 postcode area, there are some of the most expensive properties in the constituency — maybe even in Northern Ireland — but there is also one of Northern Ireland's three largest housing estates. The visibility of that wealth in close proximity to those who are living in significant poverty hides the deprivation that needs to be tackled. <BR /> <BR />A practical way to address that, which communities welcomed, was the hardship fund that DFC issued and that was distributed through councils to the front-line communities that needed it. Minister, I have raised that fund with you previously, so if progress has been made on its reintroduction or if your Department is doing any work to bring forward similar schemes, we would all appreciate an update.”
“For example, Ards and North Down Borough Council's community development fund makes no assessment of applicants' reserves, unrestricted income or financial vulnerability. Instead, allocations are based on a 0 to 5 score for postcode deprivation, when we know that, across the board, multiple deprivation statistics are outdated. Our area's needs must be better understood in order to ensure genuine equity so that all communities can thrive equally. <BR /> <BR />Another issue that is often raised with me is the missed opportunities for regional funding, as North Down is often seen and counted as being part of the greater Belfast area, which feeds into geographic inequality and a postcode lottery of support.”
“<BR /> <BR />In North Down, local community organisations always step in and address the need, connecting those who need support to food banks or social supermarkets or providing advice or expertise to recalculate social welfare support. However, the same organisations find themselves struggling and competing for impactful funding, in part due to limiting criteria set by the council and Departments. We need to move beyond that and short-term sticking plasters and focus on long-term, collaborative solutions. I would really welcome the Minister's telling us what he is doing about that in preparation for the multi-year Budget.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will highlight two anonymised, real-life stories of my constituents, who, plainly put, are struggling not just with the cost of living but with the cost of surviving. A woman knocked on the door of a local community centre one morning and asked whether she could borrow a loaf of bread for her children's breakfast. When she came in for help, she admitted that her children had missed school as she did not have enough electric to wash and dry their uniforms and was rationing her washing powder. Another parent experienced extreme malnutrition because they chose to put food on the table for their child and heat the home instead of filling their own plate. I know that those are not isolated incidents and that there are many such heartbreaking stories across Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to pay particular attention to the doubling in the number of drug-related deaths between 2005-09 and 2017-2021, and the 37% increase between 2011-15 and 2017-2021 in the number of deaths from suicide and undetermined intent, in the Bangor neighbourhood renewal area. Poverty and struggles with the cost of living have clear connections with people's health, both physical and mental. Poverty does not happen in isolation; there are so many factors. The inability to work due to long waiting lists or health inequalities, mental health pressures, housing insecurity and the rising cost of living are all compounding one another and pushing people to breaking point. That gives a direct reminder of the need for cross-departmental working on anti-poverty measures, as stated in our Programme for Government.”
“They see, at first hand, how that misconception contributes to a disproportionate lack of investment. I ask the Minister to address the need for solid data on those areas. <BR /> <BR />We do have a rather helpful collection of data from Bangor's 2022 neighbourhood renewal profile. For anyone who is not familiar with that project, its focus was on supporting areas that fell into the 10% most deprived in Northern Ireland. Clandeboye and Dufferin in North Down fell into that category, based on the 2017 baseline data, with 44% of children in poverty; 31% of the working-age population employment deprived; and 21% of people living in households whose equalised income was below 60% of Northern Ireland's median.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I have said, there is a broad spectrum of wealth in North Down and a number of high earners in the area, but that is simply not the case for everyone. Income inequalities can hide the struggle of those in areas across the constituency. As one community worker put it to me:”
“That is vital to unpick the stigma that is felt so strongly across North Down and to track the tangibility of the outcomes of interventions. For example, I can see that, in 2017 — the last time that that data was disaggregated so — Bangor Central, the district electoral area (DEA) where my office sits, was ranked amongst the 100 wards with the most income deprivation in Northern Ireland. The same goes for the areas of Conlig and Loughview in Holywood, where 23·9% of the working population was employment deprived. However, all that was eight years ago, pre pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. When preparing for the debate, I found that there is very little hard, up-to-date data available on the levels of poverty and deprivation in specific areas of constituencies rather than in local government districts as a whole.”
“They address that need directly and offer support. Those are the groups and the people doing the work on the ground. <BR /> <BR />Together, between the councils, Departments, Westminster counterparts and grassroots action, we can deliver better. We can deliver a transformational anti-poverty strategy that acts to the benefit of all across Northern Ireland. I would like to see clear, ambitious targets. The strategy should listen to the expertise of those with lived experience, and to organisations providing practical support in communities. We have really good examples of collaboration and co-design in Executive strategies. I hope that we will also see that in the finalised anti-poverty strategy. <BR /> <BR />One of the items that I would like to raise with the Minister is the need for updated information on poverty at a small area level.”
“That perception has contributed to the stigma, making those who are struggling across the community feel a lot of shame because their finances or living costs are not more manageable. I am here today to make it clear that that is not their fault; it is the fault of the system that has let them down. <BR /> <BR />It is our local community and voluntary sector organisations that deal with individuals directly and provide essential support. Charities such as the Society of St Vincent de Paul or Christians Against Poverty operate locally, Bangor Foodbank and Community Support runs a food bank and a baby bank, Kilcooley Women's Centre's runs a social supermarket, and there are too many churches and local community groups to mention: they all see at first hand the level of need in their local communities and areas.”
“<BR /> <BR />Before the debate, I spoke with many individuals across North Down, including those who are struggling and those who provide direct support to the people who need it most. In each of those conversations, I heard the repeated message that high levels of income and wealth in North Down continue to overshadow the struggle and deprivation of many people. Perhaps that message is best put in simple terms, as Trussell did in a briefing that was sent to all MLAs in advance of today's debate: poverty in our borough is hidden, and the stigma of getting help is rising. Our constituency is sometimes called "the gold coast", and it is seen as being a wealthy area.”
“It is not about pitting communities or constituencies against each other; it is about shining a light on an issue that persists in our area and the grassroots work that is being done on the ground to mitigate it. Approximately 330,000 people, including approximately 24% of all children, in Northern Ireland are in relative poverty after housing costs. That is about 17% of our total population. Up to 40% of our population are thought to have been in fuel poverty at some point over the past few years. Almost half of all workers have experienced low pay in one of the past five years. It is estimated that one in five households in Northern Ireland has faced food insecurity in the past 12 months.”
“To set the tone from the outset, I have brought the matter to the House not to point fingers and propel blame but to have a frank and constructive conversation about the vast income inequality and areas of deprivation across the place that I represent. I thank every Member who has made the time to come to the Chamber and contribute to the debate, including the Minister. <BR /> <BR />Poverty across our region continues to be an issue of serious concern. It feels right to begin the debate by putting some numbers to it. Although I am here to raise issues relevant to my constituency, we all know that poverty is a problem across Northern Ireland.”