Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 December 2020
148. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the outcome of the most recent discussions he has had with the parties in the Northern Ireland Executive and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland about the introduction of a bill of rights in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44040/20]
View answerA Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland is an important provision of the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement sets out that such a Bill of Rights should be based on the European Convention on Human Rights, enhanced by additional rights to “reflect the principles of mutual respect for the identity and ethos of both communities and parity of esteem.”
The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring the full and effective implementation of all aspects of the Agreement, including the provision for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The Government advanced the view during the 2014 Stormont House talks that a Bill of Rights could set out precisely and formally the rights upon which a shared society for Northern Ireland could be based.
The New Decade, New Approach agreement, reached in January 2020, included a commitment by the NI Executive to establish an Ad-Hoc Assembly Committee to consider the creation of a Bill of Rights.
The Ad Hoc Committee for a Bill of Rights has since been established. The Committee published its research paper on the “Key Issues for a Bill of Rights” in March 2020, and launched a public consultation in May. The issue has come to the fore in the context of Brexit, and it has been a key feature of discussions within civil society.
The Government will continue to support the implementation of all provisions of the Good Friday Agreement and, indeed the New Decade New Approach agreement, at every available opportunity.
