Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor O'Flaherty. Will the committee take into consideration other international agreements such as the Good Friday Agreement and its outstanding issues? Some people argue, for example, that the amalgamation of the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority dilutes the responsibilities under agreements such as the Good Friday Agreement. Does the committee look only through the lens of its UN remit? Will the Aarhus Convention form a backdrop to its deliberations?

I was not here for the debate on direct provision but I have campaigned passionately on it. Some people might call it an Irish solution to an Irish problem and, many people would argue, not a particularly satisfactory one. What type of reading can the committee take of such an issue, or the Traveller issue in Ireland, both of which are specific to a member state? Can it make pertinent findings and recommendations to the Government although they would bear little relation to issues in other member states?