Sinéad Ennis: T1. Ms Ennis asked the Minister for the Economy to state why, for two years, DUP Ministers have refused to bring forward proposals to deliver on the New Decade, New Approach commitment to close the poorly designed, flawed, failed and disastrous renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme that was created and overseen by successive DUP Ministers. (AQT 2131/17-22)
Sinéad Ennis: Over the course of this mandate, three different DUP Economy Ministers — you are the latest — have been consistent in their refusal to close the RHI scheme, despite a commitment and repeated calls to do so. Can you explain, because I have not heard a rational explanation yet, why no proposals have been taken forward by the DUP Economy Ministers to finally close the scheme?
Sinéad Ennis: 4. Ms Ennis asked the Minister of Justice whether she will introduce stand-alone legislation to address misogyny. (AQO 3320/17-22)
Sinéad Ennis: I thank the Minister for that answer. Minister, you will be aware of the recent Scottish Government report that proposes new misogyny-specific legislation, with offences to tackle misogynistic harassment, incitement of hatred against women and threatening to rape or assault women. Will those be some of the new offences that you will look at for inclusion in any proposed hate crime Bill?
Sinéad Ennis: Last week, the former director of Anti-Slavery International warned that the scheme to house Ukrainian refugees increases the risk of human trafficking and that the light-touch safeguarding checks cannot offer the comprehensive security needed by vulnerable refugees, the majority of whom, let us remind ourselves, are women and children. What role will the Department of Justice have in...
Sinéad Ennis: In January 2021, the Assembly passed the landmark Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act. As we know, the Act provides for a new domestic abuse offence covering coercive and controlling behaviour, along with a number of aggravators. The new offence, which came into force in February 2022, marked a milestone in how the criminal justice system treats domestic abuse and protects victims. The...
Sinéad Ennis: T5. Ms Ennis asked the Minister of Health, who will know that he announced in January that trusts had been instructed to reopen day centres and respite centres, to state when those services will resume, given that, as COVID restrictions ease, families that rely on them feel that they have been left behind, with some still waiting for that crucial help to start up again. (AQT 2155/17-22)
Sinéad Ennis: The Assembly has passed many key pieces of legislation during this term and will continue to do so until the moment at which it is dissolved in a few days' time. I am proud to be associated with the positive and progressive work of the Assembly in recent times but am prouder still of the legislation that we have passed that is designed to protect women and girls and minority groups from...
Sinéad Ennis: Sorry, Deputy Speaker, I took my name off the speaking list.
Sinéad Ennis: Sinn Féin will support the LCM on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, although we still have concerns with the Bill itself. We put those concerns to the Justice Minister, and I believe that she may share some of them. Strengthening the legal framework that allows for the police and others to extract data from electronic devices to ensure clarity for victims, witnesses and...
Sinéad Ennis: Go ahead.
Sinéad Ennis: I will contradict what the Minister has said. The advice that we got was that —
Sinéad Ennis: If the Minister will let me finish, I will continue. With amendment No 20, we are attempting not to override but to complement article 29A(4). It simply compels the Department to review annually whether the power that is already contained in the Bill that the Department put in there needs to be triggered. That is all that it does. It does not attempt to override what is already there. I...
Sinéad Ennis: Go ahead.
Sinéad Ennis: I am sure that the Minister will get a chance to expand on that further in her summing-up. The Committee arrived at amendment No 20 in good faith in an attempt to provide the maximum protection. As I said, an annual review is excessive, but a one-off review after two years does not go far enough. The amendment is our best attempt to land somewhere in the middle. I hope that everybody, both...
Sinéad Ennis: I will not speak at any great length, because the Chair has summed things up quite well. I will add to his comments about our visit to the PSNI cybercrime centre. It was a harrowing experience. Hearing what officers have to go through daily has left a mark on me, as a mother. We thanked those officers on the day, but it is important to reiterate our thanks here and place them on record. What...
Sinéad Ennis: Go ahead. Yes, of course.
Sinéad Ennis: Thank you. I hear what the Minister is saying, but, as I said, that provision is already there, in article 29A(4), should the Department want to trigger it at any time to widen the scope. The Committee was honest and open about wanting to provide the maximum protection from sexual exploitation. Again, I hear what the Minister says about amendment Nos 19 and 20, but I do not see the difference...
Sinéad Ennis: I thank the Minister for giving way. Like the Minister, I am slightly bemused by the arguments that Peter Weir put against the proposal. Does the Minister agree that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages for live links and virtual sessions, not least because they free up more police officers to return to front-line duties instead of waiting around in courthouses all day for the first...
Sinéad Ennis: I welcome the opportunity to add some comments to those of the Minister and the Chair of the Committee on the extension of the provisions related to the courts, tribunals and inquests. The Coronavirus Act 2020 provided a number of temporary emergency provisions in response to the public health crisis that was emerging in early 2020. The Act introduced a number of provisions to enable the...