To ask the Assembly Commission for an update on the engagement it has had with other bodies on the issue of abuse and harassment of elected representatives.

Mr McGrath

Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I may require an additional minute for this answer. I thank the Member for her question. The Assembly Commission recognises that abuse and harassment of Members is a serious and persistent issue and that addressing it requires coordinated action across a number of bodies. Within its own remit, the Commission has taken forward a programme of engagement and action to strengthen support for Members and to address gaps in existing arrangements. Last year, the Speaker held separate meetings with the PSNI and the Electoral Commission. Those discussions highlighted the importance of ensuring that organisations involved in this area have a shared understanding of existing activity and where further action is required. Building on that work, the Speaker convened a round-table meeting in September, attended by representatives of the Assembly Commission, the PSNI, the Electoral Commission, the Electoral Office, the main political parties, the Assembly Women’s Caucus, the Jo Cox Foundation and the Hume Foundation. While a wide range of issues were discussed, participants emphasised the impact of hearing directly from Members about their personal experiences of abuse and harassment. Engagement between the Assembly Commission and partner organisations is ongoing and a significant development has been the PSNI’s MLA safety strategy. Assembly Commission officials now sit on a joint group with the PSNI to consider delivery of that strategy and to ensure that appropriate support is available to Members, both in response to specific incidents and through the provision of advice and training. The Commission has also taken steps to ensure that its future work is informed by Members’ lived experience. A survey of Members on abuse and harassment was conducted between June and September 2025, with 48 Members responding. As a result, the Commission established a group to bring forward proposals for actions that the Commission can take, within its responsibilities, to address these issues. To inform that work further, Commission officials have engaged with colleagues in other Parliaments, including the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and the Houses of the Oireachtas, and have continued discussions with the PSNI. The Commission will continue to engage with other bodies on these matters, and Members will be aware that, last month, the Speaker joined the Presiding Officers from Scotland and Wales at the launch of the most recent report of the Jo Cox Foundation’s Civility Commission.

Mr McGrath

The Jo Cox Foundation launched its first call to action in 2024, with recommendations for a number of sectors to address the escalating level of abuse of Members of Parliament in the wake of the horrifying murder of Jo Cox and David Amess. Since then, the foundation has moved its focus to elected representatives in the devolved Administrations and, on 23 February, it launched its second call to action. That report focuses on actions for the devolved Administrations and includes recommendations for the Assembly. The Speaker participated in the launch of that report and noted that the recommendations would fall within the responsibility of a number of bodies in the Assembly and that that will be pursued and taken forward.