Dr. Mary Dobbs:

I will be quick. To clarify, I was a member of the expert advisory group of the citizens' assembly, besides being an academic. At some points, I will bring in the former perspective. To follow up on Dr. Kelleher's point, there is a document from the UN, which is included in our documentation, that sets out 16 framework principles. It provides guidance that draws from various developments across the world relating to constitutionalising environmental rights. It could be a very useful document from which to draw insights.

The Cathaoirleach also had a question as to whether we would even be thinking about constitutionalising rights if we had a decent environmental system that was fully implemented, enforced and resourced. I entirely concur with Dr. Ryall's opening statement and her further comments that these rights would be complementary. They are another part of the toolbox and could be seen as a longer term tool. The citizens' assembly had these as two out of 159 recommendations. It saw such rights as necessary alongside its other recommendations.