AQO 3406/22-27 Oral question to the Minister of Justice

To ask the Minister of Justice for an update on the Justice Bill (NIA Bill 07/22-27).

Asked by Kellie Armstrong MLA on 19 March 2026

  • Answered
  • Oral
  • After due date
Tabled
19 March 2026
Answer due by
14 April 2026
Answered
16 September 2026181 days after tabling
Department
Department of Justice
Priority question
No

Answer

The 18-month-long Committee Stage of the Justice Bill ended on 27 March 2026.

Drafting of the few remaining additional provisions to be added to the Bill by way of Departmental amendment is ongoing, including in relation to the proposed provisions on non-consensual sexually-explicit deepfake images of adults, on which development of provisions is well under way but which will take some weeks to finalise.

Once all Departmental amendments are ready, I will seek Executive approval as soon as possible for tabling of the amendments and scheduling of Consideration Stage thereafter, subject to Speaker and Assembly Business Committee considerations.

Official sources