Justice Minister Reflects On Achievements During Assembly Term

On the anniversary of the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, Justice Minister Naomi Long has reflected on the achievements of her department.

The Minister highlighted several key accomplishments, including the addition of Northern Ireland to UK legislation quashing the convictions of those affected by the Horizon I.T. scandal and the Northern Ireland Prison Service receiving top marks in independent inspections.

"I was honoured to be returned as Justice Minister in February 2024," said Minister Long. "I wanted to finish what I had started and was thankful to get that opportunity. Despite having delivered some significant legislation in the previous mandate including stalking, upskirting and downblousing, there is more I want to do."

Tackling domestic and sexual abuse has been a key priority for the Minister. "On average, domestic abuse is reported to the PSNI every 16 minutes and a sexual offence every two hours," she said. "These are stark figures!"

The Minister emphasised the importance of the recently published Domestic and Sexual Abuse strategy, which was developed in collaboration with the Department of Health and gives a voice to victims, including children and young people. "I recently extended the Sexual Offences Legal Advisers (SOLA) scheme and will shortly bring forward a similar scheme aimed at children," said Minister Long. "Up to the end of November 2024, the adult scheme provided free legal advice and support to more than 2,000 complainants in serious sexual offence cases. The support and advice provided through this scheme is invaluable, ensuring victims have support on their justice journey."

Minister Long also announced a major reform programme to improve access to justice, which will involve refocusing services and putting citizens at the heart of the justice system. This includes a proposed 16% uplift in legal aid fees for the legal profession and a consultation on the delivery plans for reform.

The Minister has also launched a Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Strategy to help identify and eradicate these crimes in Northern Ireland.

Looking ahead, Minister Long outlined her commitment to delivering three key pieces of legislation during the remainder of the mandate: a Justice Bill, a Sentencing Bill, and a Victims Bill.

"Despite the challenges, I aim to deliver on my legislative priorities for the remainder of this mandate," said Minister Long. "Legislation which will reform and modernise the justice system is already progressing in the form of the Justice Bill. I also intend to bring forward a Sentencing Bill and a Victims Bill which will include increasing maximum penalties for those convicted of offences causing death or serious injury by driving; review sentencing including in cases such as the Charlotte Murray murder; and will give additional protections for victims of hate crimes."

The Minister concluded by expressing her gratitude to the dedicated staff within the justice system for their hard work and commitment.