Criminal justice watchdog to be appointed

The government is to appoint an independent Justice Oversight Commissioner to monitor the implementation of the Criminal Justice Review in Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State, Paul Murphy, told MPs in a written statement that he intended to appoint a Justice Oversight Commissioner in the New Year to report on how reforms are being implemented.

Mr Murphy said: "The Commissioner will be a person of standing, appointed by open competition, and we fully expect him or her to make a significant contribution to the full and effective implementation of the Criminal Justice Review in Northern Ireland.

"It is our expectation that the work of the Justice Oversight Commissioner will play a pivotal role in the creation of a criminal justice system which delivers justice effectively and efficiently, and enjoys the support and confidence of all parts of the community."

SDLP justice spokesman Alban Maginness said the creation of an oversight commissioner for criminal justice had been a key demand of the SDLP.

“The criminal justice review has nearly 300 recommendations which fall to a multitude of agencies and departments to implement. Without strong insight, we know that many of these will simply fall by the wayside,” he said.

"We will continue to work to ensure that the new oversight commissioner has all the standing, resources, powers and access to information necessary to get the job done."

Sinn Féin’s criminal justice spokesman Gerry Kelly said the remit of the Oversight Commissioner did not go far enough.

“While the proposals for the Oversight Commissioner allow powers to scrutinise the implementation of the recommendations of the Criminal Justice, Sinn Féin are concerned that the review fell a long way short of what was required to address some of the fundamental flaws in our justice system and the way it has operated over the past 30 years," he said.

“Sinn Féin are also deeply concerned that the Oversight Commissioner will not be independent, given the approach to the review which became an in-house NIO driven process. The lack of independence of the review ultimately led to it falling short of what was required.

“The remit of the Commissioner is restricted by the review recommendation but Sinn Féin will continue to push for both greater changes within the criminal justice system and a wider remit for the Commissioner.”

(AMcE)