To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the work being completed by or funded by their Department on the anti-paramilitary strategy or anti-paramilitary action plans.

The Executive Office has lead responsibility for 4 Actions contained within the Executive’s Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme. These are Actions B1, B2, B3 and B4. The Executive Office also has joint responsibility for Action A9 (along with the Department of Justice).

Action B1 is separated into three sub-actions and called on the Executive to adopt recommendations by the Review Panel that:

the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998 (FETO) should be

amended;

the employers’ guidance should be implemented in respect of public

sector recruitment and vetting; and

(c) there should be greater transparency over all these issues.

On Action B1(a), we are currently considering options on how best to make this amendment to FETO.

On Action B1(b), the employers guidance has been implemented in respect of recent NI Civil Service recruitment competitions. Moreover, correspondence has been sent to all Councils in NI encouraging them to adopt the guidance in terms of their own recruitment practices.

On Action B1(c), the Review Panel has developed and launched a website to promote its work and has held a series of outreach and engagement events. The Review Panel plans to publish their third report in early 2022.

Action B2 asked that The Review Panel continue to consider what steps can be taken to improve access to financial services (including lending and insurance), adoption and travel advice for members of the ex-Prisoner community.

The Review Panel continues to consider these issues and to advocate on behalf of individuals who have experienced challenges related to any of these matters.

Progress has been made on improving access to financial services. Through direct engagement with representatives of the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI), an updated list of insurers has been prepared which outlines those insurance providers who will provide insurance products to those within the ex-prisoner community.

Action B3 called for the Executive to make representations to the US Secretary of State to seek an expedited procedure for visa applications from ex-prisoners affiliated with groups on ceasefire.

During the period in which there was no Executive, this Action could not be progressed and the opportunities to raise this since have been limited.

In the interim, the Review Panel has made successful representations for individuals who have encountered travel difficulties.

Action B4 is also known as the ‘Communities in Transition’ Project. The Communities in Transition Project is designed to support and empower those communities which have been most impacted by paramilitarism, criminality and ongoing coercive control and therefore operates in 8 geographic areas where residual paramilitary activity and associated criminality continues to have a negative impact on communities.

During its first phase of activity (December 2019 to June 2021) the Project supported 34 individual interventions covering a variety of themes in these areas with a supporting budget of approximately £8.5m.

The Project has now moved to its second phase of activity. In June 2021 an open procurement process commenced to award an initial tranche of project contracts for this phase. This resulted in the award of 22 new projects in July 2021. Further projects are planned to be brought forward in the coming weeks include further support for young people, employability, and a second phase of the regional restorative practice project.

The Communities in Transition Project will be supported for a further three financial years (2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24) with a contribution of £10m from NDNA.

Action A9 commits The Executive Office to put in place a long-term, dedicated fund for restorative justice initiatives. This fund is also required to resource the proposal for a Centre of Restorative Excellence (CORE) for NI. The Executive Office leads on the creation of the fund, while the Department of Justice (DOJ) leads on the work in relation to a CORE. A CORE Working Group has recently been re-constituted and is currently working through a schedule of work to assist with its design, on a multi-agency basis. Our officials keep in regular contact with DoJ officials and are represented on this Working Group.

The creation of a fund will be an important aspect of the overall plan to ensure that a CORE can be set up and operationally viable moving forward. TEO officials are developing an options paper on funding to accompany the establishment of a CORE.