Letter: Views sought on objectives, proposals and potential consequences of Northern Ireland Justice Bill
A letter from Joanne Bunting:
The members of the Committee for Justice and I, as chairman, want to hear the views of people from right across Northern Ireland on the objectives, proposals and potential consequences, including those which may be unintended, of the Justice Bill and its amendments from the department.
The bill was introduced in the Northern Ireland Assembly in September and the committee for justice is currently taking time to consider its different parts and proposals.
Your input will help to inform our consideration of the bill so it is important that as many people as possible respond to our online survey.
This gives you an opportunity to tell us what you think and we would value hearing from you.
The Justice Bill has four main aims: to amend the law about retention periods for DNA and biometric material; to make changes to bail and custody arrangements for children and young people; to provide for the use of video conferencing technology by police in interviews and detention; and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of aspects of the justice system.
There are also a number of proposed amendments that the minister intends to make at a later stage in the legislative process.
These relate to restorative justice; serious and organised crime; the repeal of vagrancy legislation and other issues which are also included in the survey.
You can complete the survey online before the closing date of April 4 by putting this short link into your browser: https://lk.cmte.fyi/TZAM
Requests for hard copies of the survey can be made by contacting the Committee for Justice, Room 345, Parliament Buildings, Belfast, BT4 3XX; by emailing [email protected] or by telephoning 028 9052 1033.
Joanne Bunting MLA, Chairman, Committee for Justice