Naomi Long

Justice Minister Naomi Long was quizzed by MLAs yesterday over the status of the Justice (Miscellaneous) Provisions Bill, which was set to be introduced weeks ago but has not yet materialised.

The minister said she had circulated a paper to her Executive colleagues nearly four weeks ago but had been “unsuccessful in my attempts to get approval of the bill onto the agenda” at the three Executive meetings that have taken place since then.

Mrs Long said: “I am growing increasingly concerned that any further delay will see the bill fail to progress in this mandate and that, as a result, there will be a gap in the public protection arrangements for the most vulnerable in our society.”

Although refusing to be drawn on who was causing the delay, she said: “I am clear that those who are holding the bill up do not object to the bill’s content, as drafted. Their concerns are about potential amendments that may be tabled once the bill comes to the committee or is in front of the House.”

Mrs Long added that she had “spoken briefly, in the Executive, to the new leader of the DUP, in the hope that we will be able to meet before this Thursday’s Executive meeting to seek clarity on the issues about which the concerns lie and to get the bill cleared so that we can move forward”.