Archived Consultations

Your views are invited on the European Commission’s proposals to align the Civil Explosives Directive (93/15/EEC) and the Pyrotechnic Articles Directive to European Council Decision 768/2008/EC and certain related provisions of Regulation 765/2008/EC.

The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation on amendments to the Legal Aid for Crown Court Proceedings (Costs) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005 (the 2005 Rules).

Consultation on the Governance and Accountability of the Public Prosecution Service The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive, on the future governance of the Public Prosecution Service.

The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation on Recovery of Defence Costs Orders (RDCOs).

This consultation proposes options for reform to encourage people who are guilty of a criminal offence to admit their guilt at an earlier stage in the criminal process. Earlier guilty pleas would reduce the burden on victims and witnesses and ensure a more efficient use of public resources. The consultation paper outlines three options for addressing this issue.

This consultation document on the reform of committal proceedings aims to make the justice system more efficient and effective but at the same time help reduce the trauma faced by victims and witnesses.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is conducting a consultation exercise on proposals for the mutual recognition of certain judicial decisions across EU Member States and how the Department will deliver its requirements under Framework Decision FD 2009/829/JHA.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views from those working with victims, those who have themselves been victims and indeed the broader general public on the provision of Victim Impact Statements / Victim Impact Reports

The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation seeking views on proposals to implement in Northern Ireland obligations under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (‘the Aarhus Convention’) and associated EU Directives.

The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation on Part One of Sunita Mason’s Review of the criminal records regime in Northern Ireland which was published on 12 August 2011.

A 12-week period of consultation on draft revisions to Codes of Practice C, E, F and H that are made by Statutory Rule under Articles 60, 60A and 65 of the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (PACE).

The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation about the upper age limit for jury service in Northern Ireland.

This paper is concerned with improving access to justice and seeks views on the realignment of the tribunals system in Northern Ireland

The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation on the recently published report on the Review of Youth Justice in Northern Ireland.

The Department of Justice is carrying out a consultation on the issue of fine default in Northern Ireland.

The proposals for consultation will reform the law on sex offender notification by increasing the effectiveness of the notification framework and responding to a Supreme Court judgement on the current law on indefinite notification.

Your views are invited on proposed amendments to the Carriage of Explosives Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011. As a result of an EU Directive on Transportable Pressure Equipment some amendments are required to the existing regulations to update the meaning currently given to “the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive”. The references to the previous Directive will be removed.

Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (or PCSPs) are new statutory bodies which will be established under the Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. They have been designed to combine the work of the current District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) and Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs), and aim to help make communities safer.

Your views are invited on a proposal to introduce a UK-wide Carriage of Dangerous Goods: Approved Derogation and Transitional Provisions document. This document would combine the separate Great Britain and Northern Ireland documents for the benefit of users and to facilitate updating.

In April 2010 the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland published its revised guidance to public authorities on Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. As part of the revised guidance the Department of Justice is required to develop an Equality Scheme which sets out how it will deliver on its statutory requirements. The Commission also requested that an Equality Action plan was developed.

On 4 December 2008, the European Court of Human Rights found that the law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland of retaining indefinitely the fingerprints and DNA of all people who have been arrested but not convicted was in breach of the right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Sunita Mason, the Government's Independent Advisor for Criminality Information Management, seeks your views on a review of the Criminal Records Regime in Northern Ireland. To assist her fact-finding, she has drawn up the following questionnaire to obtain a wide range of views against the specific Terms of Reference for this review

The Hillsborough Castle Agreement (February 2010) contained a commitment to review community sentences to ensure there was a sufficiently wide range of disposals available to the judiciary to enable them to deal effectively with adult offenders convicted of less serious offences.

Following the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 12 April 2010, Justice Minister David Ford announced his intention to lead a debate on a new Community Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland, to contribute to creating a safer Northern Ireland.

Since becoming Minister of Justice on 12 April, David Ford has set out a range of initiatives aimed at maximising the benefits from devolution, including a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the Justice system to fit the needs of Northern Ireland.

The draft Budget announced on 15 December provided departmental budget allocations for the four year period 2011/12 to 2014/15. To inform the consultation process on the draft Budget, departments were asked to publish a range of information on their draft budget allocation.

The Hillsborough Castle Agreement (February 2010) proposed that the Department of Justice should consider the establishment of a Sentencing Guidelines Council for Northern Ireland.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views from those working with victims, those who have themselves been victims and indeed the broader general public on the revised Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.

The Bribery Act 2010 (which extends to Northern Ireland) introduces a new corporate offence of failure to prevent bribery by people working on its behalf. A business can present a defence to a charge when it can show that it has adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery. Draft UK guidance on bribery preventative measures has now been publishedand we would like to ensure that the draft guidance is informed from a Northern Ireland perspective, particularly by the business community. The closing date for the receipt of responses is Wednesday 11 November 2010.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on an Equality Impact Assessment on proposals for a Justice Bill (Northern Ireland) to be introduced into the Northern Ireland Assembly. The consultation will run for a period of 12 weeks from 12 August to 4 November 2010.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views from victims and witnesses, those working with victims and witnesses, and the public on draft guidance for practitioners - for example police officers, social care workers, legal representatives and therapists - on interviewing victims and witnesses, using special measures and the provision of pre-trial therapy in order to achieve best evidence in criminal proceedings.

In 2009 the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) undertook a consultation on proposals to improve sports spectator controls in Northern Ireland. Following devolution on April 12th responsibilty for these proposals passed to the Department of Justice. Full details of the original consultation can be found on the NIO website (see link below).

This consultation document seeks views on a proposed change to the law on notification requirements for sex offenders from jurisdictions outside the UK who come to Northern Ireland.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views from victims and witnesses, those working with victims and witnesses, and the public on a range of recommendations aimed at improving the way vulnerable and intimidated witnesses are able to give evidence in criminal proceedings.

This paper discusses the principle of a levy system and proposals for introducing such a system to Northern Ireland. It also captures some of the operational experience and practice developed across a number of jurisdictions where levy systems have been introduced

This consultation paper sets out the background and context for our review of local partnership working, a proposed model on which we are seeking your views and the process we have undertaken to date to involve the main stakeholders