Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not disagree with anything Deputy Brendan Smith has said. I assure him that placing human rights at the heart of the peace process in Northern Ireland is very much an ongoing obligation and an ongoing piece of work because that has helped to ensure the full participation, trust and confidence of all communities. A shared emphasis on human rights and all that this implies is part of what makes the peace process both credible and effective. We will work continuously with the British Government and with the power-sharing Executive in Belfast to support the Good Friday Agreement and its institutions and the principles. We regard this as the foundational architecture underpinning the entire peace process and for this reason, I was disappointed that a renewed commitment to a bill of rights for Northern Ireland, based on the European Convention on Human Rights, as provided for in the Agreement, was not included in the recently completed Stormont House Agreement despite the best efforts and encouragement of this Government. However, I assure Deputy Smith that I will avail of other opportunities to secure progress on this and other outstanding issues pertaining to the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement.

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