The Committee for Justice is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department of Justice and the Minister of Justice (currently Naomi Long).[1] The Committee undertakes a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Department of Justice and plays a key role in the consideration and development of legislation.
The committee was created following the devolution of policing and justice on 12 April 2010, as a result of the Hillsborough Castle Agreement, agreed under the premiership of Gordon Brown on 5 February 2010.[2]
The committee met for the first time in the 2022–2027 Assembly on 15 February 2024.
| Party | Member[3] | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joanne Bunting MLA (Chairperson) | Belfast East | ||
| Deirdre Hargey MLA (Deputy Chairperson) | Belfast South | ||
| Doug Beattie MLA | Upper Bann | ||
| Maurice Bradley MLA | East Londonderry | ||
| Stewart Dickson MLA | East Antrim | ||
| Alex Easton MLA | North Down | ||
| Sinéad Ennis MLA | South Down | ||
| Ciara Ferguson MLA | Foyle | ||
| Justin McNulty MLA | Newry and Armagh | ||
The committee met for the first time in the 2017–2022 Assembly on 22 January 2020.[4]
| Party | Member[5] | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Givan MLA (Chairperson) | Lagan Valley | ||
| Linda Dillon MLA (Deputy Chairperson) | Mid Ulster | ||
| Doug Beattie MLA | Upper Bann | ||
| Gordon Dunne MLA | North Down | ||
| Paul Frew MLA | North Antrim | ||
| Raymond McCartney MLA | Foyle | ||
| Patsy McGlone MLA | Mid Ulster | ||
| Pat Sheehan MLA | Belfast West | ||
| Rachel Woods MLA | North Down | ||
| Date | Outgoing member and party | Constituency | → | New member and party | Constituency | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 February 2020 | Raymond McCartney MLA (Sinn Féin) | Foyle | → | Vacant | ||||
| 17 February 2020 | Vacant | → | Martina Anderson MLA (Sinn Féin) | Foyle | ||||
| 9 March 2020 | Martina Anderson MLA (Sinn Féin) | Foyle | → | Emma Rogan MLA (Sinn Féin) | South Down | |||
| 16 March 2020 | Pat Sheehan MLA (Sinn Féin) | Belfast West | → | Jemma Dolan MLA (Sinn Féin) | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | |||
| 26 May 2020 | Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP) | Mid Ulster | → | Sinéad Bradley MLA (SDLP) | South Down | |||
| 3 November 2020 | Karen Mullan MLA (Sinn Féin) | Foyle | → | Pat Sheehan MLA (Sinn Féin) | Belfast West | |||
| 14 June 2021 | Paul Givan MLA (Chairperson, DUP) | Lagan Valley | → | Mervyn Storey MLA (Chairperson, DUP) | North Antrim | |||
| 21 June 2021 | Paul Frew MLA (DUP) | North Antrim | → | Robin Newton MLA (DUP) | Belfast North | |||
| Gordon Dunne MLA (DUP) | North Down | Peter Weir MLA (DUP) | Strangford | |||||
| 2 August 2021 | Linda Dillon MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin) | Mid Ulster | → | Sinéad Ennis MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin) | South Down | |||
The committee met for the first time in the 2016–2017 Assembly on 1 June 2016.[7]
| Party | Member[8] | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Frew MLA (Chairperson) | North Antrim | ||
| Pam Cameron MLA (Deputy Chairperson) | South Antrim | ||
| Alex Attwood MLA | Belfast West | ||
| Clare Bailey MLA | Belfast South | ||
| Doug Beattie MLA | Upper Bann | ||
| Roy Beggs Jr MLA | East Antrim | ||
| Michaela Boyle MLA | West Tyrone | ||
| Sammy Douglas MLA | Belfast East | ||
| Declan Kearney MLA | South Antrim | ||
| Trevor Lunn MLA | Lagan Valley | ||
| Pat Sheehan MLA | Belfast West | ||
The committee met for the first time in the 2011–2016 Assembly on 26 May 2011.[9]
| Party | Member[10] | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Givan MLA (Chairperson) | Lagan Valley | ||
| Raymond McCartney MLA (Deputy Chairperson) | Foyle | ||
| Sydney Anderson MLA | Upper Bann | ||
| Stewart Dickson MLA | East Antrim | ||
| Colum Eastwood MLA | Foyle | ||
| Seán Lynch MLA | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Alban Maginness MLA | Belfast North | ||
| Jennifer McCann MLA | Belfast West | ||
| Basil McCrea MLA | Lagan Valley | ||
| Peter Weir MLA | North Down | ||
| Jim Wells MLA | South Down | ||
The committee met for the first time in the 2007–2011 Assembly on 22 April 2010.[11]
| Party | Member[12] | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice Morrow MLA (Chairperson) | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Raymond McCartney MLA (Deputy Chairperson) | Foyle | ||
| Jonathan Bell MLA | Strangford | ||
| Jeffrey Donaldson MLA | Lagan Valley | ||
| Tom Elliott MLA | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Jeffrey Donaldson MLA | Lagan Valley | ||
| Dolores Kelly MLA | Upper Bann | ||
| Alban Maginness MLA | Belfast North | ||
| David McNarry MLA | Strangford | ||
| Carál Ní Chuilín MLA | Belfast North | ||
| Alastair Ross MLA | East Antrim | ||
| Date | Outgoing member and party | Constituency | → | New member and party | Constituency | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May 2010 | Dolores Kelly MLA (SDLP) | Upper Bann | → | Conall McDevitt MLA (SDLP) | Belfast South | |||
| 10 June 2010 | Jeffrey Donaldson MLA (DUP) | Lagan Valley | → | Vacant | ||||
| 25 June 2010 | Alastair Ross MLA (DUP) | East Antrim | → | Vacant | ||||
| 28 June 2010 | Vacant | → | Paul Givan MLA (DUP) | Lagan Valley | ||||
| 21 July 2010 | Jonathan Bell MLA (DUP) | Strangford | → | Vacant | ||||
| 14 September 2009 | Vacant | → | Wallace Browne MLA (DUP) | Belfast East | ||||
| Vacant | Tom Buchanan MLA (DUP) | West Tyrone | ||||||
| 9 November 2010 | Tom Elliott MLA (UUP) | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | → | Reg Empey MLA (UUP) | Belfast East | |||