AQW 51247/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 08/09/2026
Answered On Date: 21/09/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Justice, regarding residential properties repeatedly associated with serious anti-social behaviour, including suspected drug-related activity or violence, to detail (i) any powers available to relevant agencies to address such behaviour; and (ii) any gaps her Department has identified in the current legislative framework.

Answer:

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), including that linked to drug-related activity, can have a significant impact on communities.

Responses to a joint DoJ and Department for Communities (DfC) public consultation on ASB legislation were published in April 2025 and suggested a need for legislative reform.

DfC has taken forward matters in relation to ASB and social housing in their Housing (Amendment) Bill 2026.

My Department continues to work on potential amendments to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) and other aspects of ASB. Following the consultation and the work of an ASB Working Group my officials are now working on Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) on ASB and the adjacent issue of drinking in public, with a view to bringing forward legislation in the next Assembly mandate, subject to Executive and Assembly approval.

In terms of addressing serious anti-social behaviour including suspected drug related activity and violence, the deployment of resources including the detection and investigation such crimes, is a matter for the Chief Constable.

Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs), funded by my Department and the Northern Ireland Policing Board, play a key role in the Department’s operational response to community safety and ASB across all communities in Northern Ireland. PCSPs liaise with local communities and other key partners, including local statutory bodies/agencies and the voluntary and community sector, to develop appropriate actions to deal with, and reduce, the impact of ASB.