AQW 25763/22-27

Miss Nuala McAllister
Alliance Party
North Belfast

Tabled Date: 07/04/2025
Answered On Date: 24/04/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to provide a timeline for the implementation of recommendations for Health and Social Care Trusts arising from the Marcella Domestic Homicide Review.

Answer:

Firstly I would like to extend my sympathies to the victim’s family and friends, who continue to be impacted by her tragic loss. The Domestic Homicide Review was carried out to explore the circumstances of this devastating event, and to identify learning to help professionals involved to enhance their understanding, responses and practice across agencies in order to improve the protection of victims of domestic violence and their families in the future.

The review identified ten overarching recommendations. Three of these recommendations have also been made in other DHRs; whilst these reviews were published previously, they relate to deaths which were broadly contemporaneous with the death of Marcella, and therefore it is unsurprising that some of the learning and recommendations in this review reflects those in earlier reports. A further 23 recommendations were identified by agencies themselves who were involved in the DHR.

A multiagency Senior Oversight Group meets regularly to review progress of the DHR Report recommendations. To date, of the 33 recommendations, 31 involved one or more agencies within the Department of Health (HSCTS, Children’s Court Guardian Service formerly NIGALA, NIAS, SPPG). 22 recommendations have been completed prior to the publishing of the DHR report. 9 further recommendations are in progress and the estimated timescale for completion of these recommendations in full is April 2026.