The South Belfast MLA stated: "Sadly, in my own constituency and elsewhere, racially motivated attacks have become far too common. Police figures show they have been the most common form of hate crime in Northern Ireland for some years. This means that a particular group of people are at greater risk. We are aware of this increased risk and the necessary actions to mitigate it, so immediate measures must be taken.

"It seems astonishing that with the public consultation now complete, we would wait another full financial year, potentially until 2026, to put in place the requisite modernised legislation to ensure, in the First Minister's and deputy First Minister's own words, 'the best possible protection against racism'.

"We need as an Assembly to prioritise action against racially motivated attacks, both in terms of ensuring those responsible for them are caught but even more so in ensuring they do not happen in the first place.

“The current legislation dates back to 1997, and even the current Race Relations Strategy was initially drafted over a decade ago. We need to see much greater urgency in ensuring a new Strategy and accompanying legislation are put before the Assembly imminently."