Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy makes a very important point. I assure him, and the House, that human rights provisions comprise a very important pillar of the Good Friday Agreement. It is essential, therefore, that human rights protections and frameworks in the Good Friday Agreement are not, in any way, adversely impacted upon or disturbed by any changes that might take place due to the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union. In that regard I need to stress that the UK has confirmed that it has no plans to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, which is at the core of the human rights pillar of the Good Friday Agreement. Essentially, while the legal obligations provided for under the Agreement in respect of human rights remain unchanged, the UK's departure from the Union changes the context in which those obligations operate. There will need to be an element of work undertaken to ensure that nothing adversely affects the human rights guarantees in the Good Friday Agreement and that the confidence and trust of all sides of the community in Northern Ireland is not in any way adversely impacted upon.

I assure the Deputy that we will continue to raise this issue. I have raised it across a number of ministerial meetings that I had with both the current Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, and his predecessors and on occasion with other ministers. My colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, has also raised this issue. As far as I am concerned it is absolutely essential that the human rights protections as expressed in the Good Friday Agreement be fully honoured, maintained and sustained into the future.

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