The Attorney General presented Ireland's second national report, which is submitted under article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to the UN Committee on Human Rights in Geneva on 13 and 14 July 2000. The conclusions of the committee, which were received on 26 July, have been circulated widely and are available in the Library of the House and on the Department of Foreign Affairs' website. I am arranging for a copy to be sent directly to the Deputy.
The Attorney General also gave the committee a brief description of the commitments entered into under the Good Friday Agreement, with particular emphasis on its human rights provisions. He drew attention to the Government's undertaking to "bring forward measures to strengthen and underpin the constitutional protection of human rights" and that "these proposals will draw on the European Convention on Human Rights and other international legal instruments". Progress on implementation of these and other measures was also reported to the committee.
The committee, in its concluding observations, also recorded its appreciation of "the high quality of the report of Ireland". It said it appreciated the additional oral and written information provided by the Government delegation during the examination of the report; this information was highly instructive and enhanced the dialogue between the committee and the delegation. Furthermore, the committee said it welcomed the publication and wide dissemination of the report by the Government and its willingness to involve non-governmental organisations in the process.