Latest releases
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23 releases
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Overwhelming opposition to Alliance Conversion Practices Bill -…
DUP MLA Pam Cameron says a Committee for Communities survey shows 93.55% of 1,379 respondents opposed the Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill, and calls on the Alliance Party to heed the public and halt the Bill. She argues prosecutors flagged vague harm thresholds and reach into family…
Disability and equality Justice and policing Issue: Alliance Conversion Practices Bill Original release: Overwhelming opposition to Alliance Conversion Practices Bill -… (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Egan welcomes Bail Support Pilot for women
Alliance Justice Spokesperson Connie Egan MLA welcomes the Department of Justice’s new bail‑support scheme for women in Belfast and Ballymena, saying it recognises complex needs, offers early help for women on remand and should improve outcomes for them, families and community safety.
Justice and policing Disability and equality Issue: Bail Support Pilot announcement Original release: Egan welcomes Bail Support Pilot for women (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Burrows asks Director of Public Prosecutions to refer unduly lenient rape sentences to Court of Appeal
UUP leader Jon Burrows MLA urges the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Herron, to refer two rape sentences to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient, arguing a three-year custodial term is inadequate. He also asks whether deportation notices have been issued against both men.
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: Burrows asks Director of Public Prosecutions to refer unduly lenient rape sentences to Court of Appeal (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 3 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Burrows calls for tougher laws and sentencing powers in care abuse cases
UUP Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows calls for tougher laws, a review of the maximum sentence and a power for the DPP to refer such cases to the Court of Appeal, after the non-custodial sentence in the Corvan care abuse case.
Justice and policing Health Original release: Burrows calls for tougher laws and sentencing powers in care abuse cases (opens in a new tab)
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Vulnerable Patients Deserve Better Justice
Justice and policing Health Original release: Vulnerable Patients Deserve Better Justice (opens in a new tab)
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Hargey writes to PPS to review William Brown sentencing
SDLP... no, Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey asks the Director of the Public Prosecution Service to review the nine-month suspended sentence given to William Brown for racially motivated threats to kill Takura Makoni.
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: Hargey writes to PPS to review William Brown sentencing (opens in a new tab)
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Gaston Amendment Backed by Fresh Court Ruling on Prison Accommodation
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston welcomes a Scottish Court of Session judgment ruling that prison accommodation must be segregated by biological sex, and says it should prompt reflection in Northern Ireland. He points to Rule 90 of the 1995 Prison Rules and says his Amendment 97 to the Justice Bill will be…
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: Gaston Amendment Backed by Fresh Court Ruling on Prison Accommodation (opens in a new tab)
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Safe access zones law working as intended
The Green Party welcomes a judgment upholding Northern Ireland's Safe Access Zones legislation, saying the courts have confirmed the law is lawful and proportionate and protects people accessing abortion services. Cllr Groogan says the law is working as intended.
Disability and equality Health Issue: Supreme Court judgment on Safe Access Zones law Original release: Safe access zones law working as intended (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 May 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Horrifying reports of AI-generated abuse of disabled people highlights need for regulation, says Nicholl
Alliance MLA Kate Nicholl calls for AI regulation after reports that Meta is investigating accounts sharing AI-generated sexualised content degrading disabled people. She says she will bring an amendment to the Justice Bill banning tools built to create non-consensual sexually explicit images.
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: Horrifying reports of AI-generated abuse of disabled people highlights need for regulation, says Nicholl (opens in a new tab)
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Sinn Féin writes to David Lammy MP concerning hunger strikers’ health and wellbeing
Sinn Féin National Chairperson Declan Kearney MLA says all Sinn Féin parliamentarians have signed a letter to Justice Secretary David Lammy urging him to resolve the hunger strike by eight prisoners in Britain, now at 47 days, and to engage directly with them and their legal representatives.
Justice and policing Health Original release: Sinn Féin writes to David Lammy MP concerning hunger strikers’ health and wellbeing (opens in a new tab)
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The health and well-being of the hunger strikers is now entering an extremely alarming stage – Maskey
Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey warns that eight prisoners in Britain on collective hunger strike face grave risk, and urges Justice Secretary David Lammy to engage with their lawyers. He says Qesser Zuhrah's condition has rapidly worsened and calls for immediate clarity on her health.
Justice and policing Health Original release: The health and well-being of the hunger strikers is now entering an extremely alarming stage – Maskey (opens in a new tab)
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Doug Beattie MC MLA Raises Concerns On Behalf Of The Cawdery Family Regarding Accuracy Of The Justice Minister’s Responses
UUP Justice Spokesperson Doug Beattie MC MLA raises concerns, on behalf of the Cawdery family, over the Justice Minister's Assembly answers on Thomas McEntee's day release from prison. He says the answers were inaccurate and misleading, and will write to the Minister seeking clarification.
Justice and policing Health Original release: Doug Beattie MC MLA Raises Concerns On Behalf Of The Cawdery Family Regarding Accuracy Of The Justice Minister’s Responses (opens in a new tab)
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Cllr Flynn calls for Fireworks Law Review after tragic animal death
Green Party Cllr Anthony Flynn calls for the Department of Justice and Justice Minister to commission a full review of fireworks laws after footage showed a family dog suffering a stroke and being put to sleep. He says the 2002 regulations are outdated and urges limits on private use, stricter…
Justice and policing Health Original release: Cllr Flynn calls for Fireworks Law Review after tragic animal death (opens in a new tab)
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Burrows slams prison officers' exposure to second-hand smoke
UUP MLA Jon Burrows says prison officers in Northern Ireland should not have to endure second-hand smoke at work and calls on the Department of Justice and Prison Service to act now. He notes Northern Ireland lacks a prison smoking ban that applies elsewhere in the UK and says urgent questions…
Justice and policing Health Original release: Burrows slams prison officers' exposure to second-hand smoke (opens in a new tab)
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More support needed for jurors after trials – Hargey
Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey calls for more support for jurors after trials, following a BBC interview in which a former juror described developing PTSD after a traumatic case. She urges the Justice and Health Ministers to work together on continuous support and asks the Justice Minister to review…
Justice and policing Health Original release: More support needed for jurors after trials – Hargey (opens in a new tab)
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Rationale for female only prison spaces is clear - Bunting
DUP Justice Spokesperson Joanne Bunting MLA asks Justice Minister Naomi Long how she will keep Hydebank Wood women's prison exclusively for biologically female prisoners after a High Court ruling allowed a transfer from Maghaberry. She says the Minister must set out a plan and warns that admitting…
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: Rationale for female only prison spaces is clear - Bunting (opens in a new tab)
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Concerns about policy on transgender prisons raised in September – but ignored
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston says the Department of Justice has conceded a legal challenge by a transgender prisoner to be held in Hydebank Wood, which he claims shows the Executive lacks a policy on housing such prisoners. He argues the situation threatens female safety and questions the purpose of a…
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: Concerns about policy on transgender prisons raised in September – but ignored (opens in a new tab)
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Aontú: Brennan ‘exclusion zone’ case may be pivotal in balancing rights
Aontú Deputy Leader Gemma Brolly backs pro-life campaigner Claire Brennan, fined £750 for praying near Coleraine Area Hospital in a buffer zone, and says the case could help overturn the zones Aontú opposed in the Assembly.
Disability and equality Justice and policing Original release: Aontú: Brennan ‘exclusion zone’ case may be pivotal in balancing rights (opens in a new tab)
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Collaborative approach needed to tackling drugs in prisons: Bunting
DUP East Belfast MLA and Justice Committee Chair Joanne Bunting calls for a more collaborative approach to tackling illicit drug supply to prisons, responding to a CJI review of progress at Magilligan. She says the Health Trust and Prison Service must address communication gaps and that the…
Justice and policing Health Original release: Collaborative approach needed to tackling drugs in prisons: Bunting (opens in a new tab)
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Sheerin welcomes Supreme Court decision to uphold Safe Access Zones Bill
Sinn Féin MLA Emma Sheerin welcomes the Supreme Court's ruling that Safe Access Zones legislation passed by the Assembly does not infringe the right to protest. She says patients and families should not face harassment or intimidation when seeking healthcare.
Health Justice and policing Original release: Sheerin welcomes Supreme Court decision to uphold Safe Access Zones Bill (opens in a new tab)