Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a very fair request. I met the organisations yesterday. It was not the first time I had met the rights commissioners on both sides of the Border. There is a great deal of concern in Northern Ireland in the context of a multitude of rights people enjoy today because of EU membership and the clarity provided, for example, by the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The uncertainty surrounding the status of many of these rights and expectations post-Brexit is causing a lot of concern. The commitment in the Good Friday Agreement to bringing forward a Bill of Rights has been part of the conversation in trying to put back in place a devolved government structure in Northern Ireland between the parties there and between the Irish and British Governments.

I will be meeting the Secretary of State, Ms Karen Bradley, later this afternoon and want to discuss with her, in the context of Northern Ireland and Brexit, the concerns raised with me yesterday and the need for the British Government to provide greater reassurance through the negotiations on rights and equality issues generally. As part of it, a Bill of Rights would be very helpful, but, of course, we cannot deliver it without the British Government wanting to do it, too.

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