Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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We probably have to clarify our thinking around them. I am not making any charge against any person, nor am I criticising any person for his or her personal conduct, but I am entitled to disagree, for example, with a Government decision, with the action of a politician, a person in a leadership role or a public person who makes a public statement and to criticise that statement. Perhaps I might put it this way - I am very critical of the recent statements of Sir Nigel Rodley. He criticised Ireland, for example, for its laws on abortion when these laws proceed from our constitutional understanding of what human rights say about the right to life of every human being from his or her beginnings. It seems UN agencies are radically in danger of overstepping their remit.

I am asking Ms Logan, and hoping for confirmation, that the work of the commission will proceed in respect of what is in the Irish Constitution. We have major discussions and debates between people of goodwill in society but there are now different points of view about the stage at which a human being should be welcomed into the human community, and their rights as such should be respected. It is appropriate that I flag my concern that certain international human rights bodies appear to be off on a frolic of their own in such a way as they do not appear to respect our constitutional understanding of authentic human rights.

In whatever way is possible I ask that Ms Logan's commission would first respect the diversity of different points of view of people of goodwill in our society on various issues and, second, that there would be as a starting premise respect for the full requirements and provisions of our Constitution and that we would not end up stressing some aspects of the Constitution and wishing that other aspects were not there because they may not suit a majority media consensus at a given time. I am certainly not asking Ms Logan for a detailed answer to that, nor do I think it is unfair to raise the issue. It will be bad for the cause of promoting human rights if international agencies are pushing controversial issues in a way that goes far beyond their remit of protecting the accepted, agreed content of human rights. I hope that Ms Logan's commission at its outset would be determined, whatever the views of individual persons on the commission, to push back against that out of a sense of professional integrity but also respect for the diversity of opinions in our society, and the provisions of our Constitution.