DUP MLA Paul Frew says justice system “in crisis” as he takes Committee Chair role

New appointments within the DUP Assembly team announced, including Junior Minister, Joanne Bunting, Chair of Infrastructure Committee, Peter Martin, and Chair of the Justice Committee, Paul Frew.

Paul Frew, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MLA for North Antrim, has been appointed Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Justice Committee.

He takes over from party colleague Joanne Bunting, who has been named Junior Minister.

This marks the second time Mr Frew has held the influential role, having previously chaired the Justice Committee in 2016–17 before the Assembly collapsed.

During his earlier tenure, he worked with then Justice Minister Claire Sugden to prevent the closure of Ballymena Courthouse. The closure had been proposed by former Justice Minister and Alliance Party leader David Ford.

Speaking following his appointment, Mr Frew said:

“It’s a great honour to be appointed Chairperson of the Justice Committee again and to advance the work of the DUP in the Assembly delivering daily for the people of North Antrim and Northern Ireland.

“It’s very clear the Justice system is in crisis under the Alliance Party leader Naomi Long so there is much work to do to scrutinise what is going wrong and to assist in bringing accountability to the department.

“It’s one of the biggest and most important jobs in the Assembly and I will endeavour to make a positive difference alongside the members of the Justice Committee who have been doing stirling work shining a light on the practices of the department.”

Mr Frew’s appointment signals a renewed DUP presence in the scrutiny of Northern Ireland’s justice system at a time when concerns about accountability and departmental practices remain high on the political agenda.