“I recognise that there is a diverse range of opinion..”

As noted yesterday, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission today presented its advice to government on a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights. Although, as they implicitly admit, in advising on the possible content of a Bill of Rights, they might have gone beyond their actual remit “to advise on the scope for defining, in Westminster legislation, rights supplementary to those in the ECHR, to reflect the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland.” [added emphasis]. Still they have been at it since 1 March 2000.. ANYhoo NI Secretary of State Shaun Woodward, MP, welcomed received “statutory advice from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on the potential for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.” And that statutory advice is available here. [pdf file]And Shaun Woodward’s quote used in the post title,

“I recognise that there is a diverse range of opinion on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. Once Government has had an opportunity to properly consider the advice we will consult publicly on this issue before deciding how to move forward.”

As Mark Devenport notes, there’s already a diverse range of opinion within the Commission..

Pete Baker