A leading human rights group today accused the British government of undermining plans for a comprehensive bill of rights for Northern Ireland.
Secretary of State Shaun Woodward has launched a consultation on proposals for the bill, which was envisaged in the Belfast Agreement and the St Andrews Agreement as a vehicle for providing legal protection for a range of rights.
But the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) has criticised Mr Woodward’s blueprint, claiming it recommends only two sets of rights and either leaves out, or rules out, a series of other measures.
Recommendations had been made by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, but CAJ director Mike Ritchie claimed that much of that work had effectively been set aside.
In publishing his document, Mr Woodward said he hoped to reach beyond the zero-sum politics that often characterises Northern Ireland debate, and provide a framework of rights to benefit the whole community.
But Mr Ritchie said: “In reading these fine words, CAJ had great hopes for what lay ahead, but at the end of the report we were left wondering whether the foreword was written for a different document.
“Only two actual rights are recommended for inclusion — the right to vote/be elected and the right to identify oneself and be accepted as British or Irish or both.
“Other rights are either ruled out completely, including social and economic rights, or left open for debate.
“The narrow scope of the Northern Ireland Office’s approach will serve only to reinforce divisions and sustain a ‘zero sum’ approach to rights. It certainly does not constitute mutual respect for the rights and freedoms of all the people of Northern Ireland to which everyone could subscribe.”
Mr Ritchie nevertheless urged groups to take part in the consultation, if only to register their concerns at the document.
The CAJ spokesman added: “There are rights suggested by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission’s comprehensive advice which would actually change the terms of the debate, and take rights away from sectional ‘zero sum’ interests into a framework for protecting and benefiting the whole community.
“However, these are not even offered for discussion. In discarding these rights, the government has effectively ignored the results of all consultation carried out to date on a bill of rights, and regular polling which shows that rights to health, education and housing, for example, are supported by the vast majority of people from all sides of the community here.”
PA