The British and Irish governments should sponsor a process between the Northern Ireland parties to bring forward the Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, the head of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has said, writes Carol Coulter. Legal Affairs Editor.
Prof Monica McWilliams said the commission had given its advice on the Bill in December 2008, but so far had not had a response from Northern parties or the Executive. Prof McWilliams, who is chief commissioner of the human rights body in Northern Ireland, was speaking after opening a conference on the 10th anniversary of the Human Rights Act in Belfast.
The Bill arose from the Belfast Agreement, which was an international agreement with the UN. She warned that the “parking” of the Bill by the proposal from the Conservative Party that it be added to a British Bill of Rights could be seen as an infringement of this international treaty.