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Bid to raise min age of criminal responsibility formally fails

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On Tuesday, the legislation returned to the assembly floor for a vote after a required 14-day consideration period, triggered after the petition of concern was signed by 30 assembly members (MLAs) from at least two parties.

The result saw 32 nationalist MLAs vote for it, while 34 unionist MLAs voted no.

16 Alliance MLAs also voted in favour of the amendment, but as they are designated as “Other” in the assembly, their votes did not count towards the threshold for cross-community consent.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and four Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MLAs had supported the petition of concern, arguing that increasing the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) in all but the most serious offences, like rape and murder, as a step too far.

MLAs in favour of the change branded Tuesday’s votes “pointless” and a waste of time, since the use of the petition of concern meant the legislation would not pass.

A separate proposal by People Before Profit’s Gerry Carroll to raise the age to 16 also failed.


BBC News

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