UUP GRAVE CONCERN AT LACK OF CROSS COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR BILL OF RIGHTS
Ulster Unionist MLAs Danny Kennedy and Tom Elliott have called on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to heed the calls made in today’s Assembly debate on a Bill of Rights to ensure that the Commission’s advice on the matter to the Secretary of State has cross-community support. A shared UUP-DUP motion expressed grave concern at the lack of cross-community support for the recommendations contained in the Report of the Bill of Rights Forum, and strongly urged the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to ensure cross-community support for its advice to the Secretary of State.
Mr. Kennedy said, “today’s debate and vote is another emphatic demonstration of the absence of cross-community support for the Bill of Rights proposals contained in the recommendations of the Final Report of the Bill of Rights Forum. The combined votes of the UUP, DUP and Alliance have underlined the failure of the Report’s recommendations to win broad support across society in Northern Ireland.
“It should be startlingly obvious to anyone that a proposed Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland must have cross-community support. The fact that the Forum’s Final Report, and today’s debate and vote illustrates the complete absence of cross-community support, must be carefully considered by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission as they now reflect on the way forward.
“If, when the Commission comes to give its advice to the Secretary of State in December about a Bill of Rights, it fails to secure cross-community political support, then the Commission will have fundamentally failed and fundamentally compromised its standing in Northern Ireland society”.
Mr. Tom Elliott urged the Commission to “read, mark and learn from” the Forum’s Report, and its failure to gain cross-community support. “There is now a weighty responsibility placed on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. It has the benefit of the experience of the Bill of Rights Forum. It knows what recommendations and proposals do not have cross-community political support. I hope an important lesson has been learnt”.