A landmark bill to strengthen the North of Ireland’s domestic abuse laws will not finish its legislative process this year.
The announcement comes after its latest stage was postponed on Monday.
Justice Minister Naomi Long said she had “no choice” but to take the unusual step due to financial implications one proposal could have.
An amendment to widen legal aid access in some domestic abuse cases had not received “due diligence”, she said.
“The impact on the Executive’s budget is potentially catastrophic – this would be RHI on steroids.”
Last month, the assembly passed an initial proposal from Green Party MLA Rachel Woods, which would effectively widen access to legal aid for victims and survivors in child contact cases.
A further amendment from Stormont’s justice committee, scheduled to be debated in Monday’s further consideration stage, would ensure the legal aid provisions take effect at the same time as the new domestic abuse offences come into use.
Justice Minister Naomi Long
Mrs Long and Finance Minister Conor Murphy wrote to the justice committee over the weekend, asking for the amendment to be withdrawn.
Mrs Long said she was disappointed that the bill needed to be postponed but that she had received no agreement from the committee to withhold the amendment.
Paul Givan, chair of the justice committee, said Mrs Long’s decision was a “shameful course of action”.
“This is an abuse of democratic process and caught in the middle are victims,” he told the Assembly.
“The minister should be moving the further consideration stage – it is for this assembly to then decide whether or not it votes for amendments that are put forward.”
The Department of Justice had argued that although it was sympathetic to supporting victims of domestic abuse in court cases, it was concerned the financial effect of the legal aid provisions could be significant.
The bill was originally due to pass its final stage next week, and become law shortly afterwards.
But it is not clear when this will happen now.
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