Stormont Justice Bill permits the state to keep your data for a lifetime

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  • Post last modified:9 June 2026

The Justice Bill currently passing through the Northern Ireland Assembly will allow the police to retain a person’s biometric data for a massive 75 years. This is despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) previously ruling that indefinite holding of such information is a violation of privacy. 75 years may not be indefinite, but it’s essentially a lifetime, meaning the difference is largely moot. More worryingly, the bill allows the state to keep information such as fingerprints and DNA for most of a century in cases of “terrorism-related” offences. This could include cases of inviting “support for a proscribed organisation”.…

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Stormont bill to outlaw barbaric hunting with dogs passes second stage

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026

A bill that would outlaw the cruel practice of hunting wild mammals with dogs has now reached the committee stage at Stormont. Moreover, the Hunting with Dogs Bill sets out to: …prohibit hunting wild mammals with dogs; to prohibit trail hunting; to prohibit terrier work; and to set out exemptions from these prohibitions. It was introduced by Alliance party MLA John Blair at the end of April. Additionally, it passed the second stage of the legislative process by 60 votes to 15. The League Against Cruel Sports (the League) and the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA)…

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