AQW 403/22-27

Mr John Stewart
Ulster Unionist Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 23/05/2022
Answered On Date: 30/05/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQO 2787/17-22, whether she will undertake a public consultation exercise as part of the pre-legislative policy development process on reforming blasphemy laws.

Answer:

As I have indicated previously, I am of the view that the common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemy libel are archaic and that they have no place in a modern society. I am committed to freedom of and from religion and remain sympathetic to removing such outdated and unused offences from the law.

An exercise is currently underway to identify legislative priorities across my Department and officials are in the process of developing options for a draft legislative programme for the new mandate for my consideration.

While that process is ongoing, and in the absence of an Executive and a sitting Assembly, I am not in a position to say when a policy consultation on the removal of blasphemy offences might be taken forward.