Ms Emily Logan:

There is an intergovernmental group considering this; it is not just the Department of Justice and Equality. Also involved are the Department of Finance, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. Therefore, the very make-up of the committee indicates the breadth of the considerations of the Government in signing up to or opting in into the directive. It is not only a matter of human rights and equality in the Department of Justice and Equality; it is across Departments. That is worthwhile bearing in mind.

We have a statutory function to comment on legislation. Sometimes draft legislation is sent to us formally. We have a formal meeting with the Department of Justice and Equality twice per year. Its representatives let us know what legislation is coming up that has implications for human rights and equality. The Department has always been very open about that. However, it is a little like what Deputy Jim O'Callaghan said in that when one gets into secondary legislation below the level of primary legislation, where statutory instruments come into play, the Executive has been allowed to introduce the measure legitimately. This makes it a little more difficult for us to penetrate that space.