Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I apologise. I had to go to two other meetings in the meantime. It is one of those crazy days. Unfortunately, I missed the presentations. However, I ready the documentation that had been advanced.

I merely want to comment. It would be absolutely reprehensible and totally unacceptable for there to be changes to or abolition of the Human Rights Act by the British Government. An important part of the narrative of the Good Friday Agreement, of which both governments are co-guarantors, that we often leave out is that it is an international agreement and it is lodged with the United Nations, and no one party to that agreement can make a unilateral decision to take a sledgehammer to an important part of the agreement. I was one of those who was glad to have the opportunity to canvas in 1998 in favour of the referendum here. Of course, that was a historic day for the country when the people on all of this island had the opportunity to vote on the one question on the same day. The referenda were overwhelmingly endorsed by the people of this country and that is a message we need to get to the British Government. Politically, we need to do it. We have been doing that through parliamentary questions, statements and Topical Issues here in the Dáil and in the Oireachtas in general.

The British Government is honouring an election pledge. We know that Governments are not good at honouring election pledges. We sincerely hope they do not honour the political pledge that it made in advance of the general election to abolish the Human Rights Act because I think it would be a total slight on another sovereign government and on important international agreements that are lodged with the United Nations. As has been said, both the British and Irish Governments are co-guarantors of the agreement. We want to see the Good Friday Agreement, the St. Andrews Agreement and the Weston Park Agreement fully implemented.

We have had many presentations in the past number of years from different representative organisations and advocacy groups in regard to the need for a bill of rights for Northern Ireland. We should be advancing rather than going backwards. That is a very important message that needs to go out to the public at large on the whole island and in Britain. Significant progress has been made, but we do not underestimate the need to build on that progress and deal with issues of concern which, if they are not dealt with, could cause trouble in the future, which none of us wants to see.

I apologise for not being present to listen the presentations. I have read the written submissions and appreciate the work that has been done. I fully endorse the presentations. I urge the witnesses to continue to advocate very strongly on these issues.