DUP accused of blocking NI Bill of Rights

Image caption, Emma Sheerin said the committee could not continue until a panel of experts was appointed
  • Author, Enda McClafferty
  • Role, 大象传媒 News NI political editor

A Stormont committee set up to consider a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland has been suspended.

Its chairwoman, Sinn F茅in's Emma Sheerin, said the DUP had made it clear it was opposed to a Bill of Rights.

She also accused the party of blocking the establishment of a panel of experts and said the DUP objected to one of the members, Prof Colin Harvey.

But a DUP spokesperson said First Minister Paul Givan did not know the applicants' identities.

Ms Sheerin told MLAs on the committee that it was long past the days "of no nationalists need apply".

"It now appears that we have a situation where no human rights expert need apply," the chairwoman told members.

Ms Sheerin said until a panel of experts had been appointed, the ad hoc committee could not continue and she brought the meeting to an end.

'Biggest spanner'

She was supported on the committee by her party colleague, Car谩l N铆 Chuil铆n, who said it was clear from a recent consultation that 86% of respondents supported a Bill of Rights.

"I'm exasperated that in 2021 we have the biggest party putting down a bill of no rights," she said.

Referring to the DUP paper, which she said proposed a set of guiding principles instead of a Bill of Rights, she commented: "It is the biggest spanner I have seen in a long time."

Former DUP minister Paul Frew, who attended the meeting, made no comment, but other members including the Alliance Party's Paula Bradshaw and the SDLP's Mark Durkan said they were disappointed.

The Ulster Unionist Party MLA Alan Chambers said it was clear the "logjam" was in the executive, a point rejected by Sinn F茅in members.

The ad hoc committee was established following the agreement in 2020.

It was designed to be assisted by a panel of five experts appointed by the first and deputy and first ministers and would "consider the creation of a Bill of Rights that is faithful to the stated intention of the 1998 Agreement in that it contains rights supplementary to those contained in the European Convention on Human Rights".

'Nonsense'

A DUP spokesperson questioned how Ms Sheerin would know applicants' identities before the first minister, and that he would be writing to the head of the civil service questioning the "integrity of the process".

They added: "This is nonsense. The first minister already confirmed during Executive Office questions on 15 November that he has not been presented with any list of applicants.

"Indeed, in a confidential recruitment process how could a backbench Sinn F茅in MLA know who has been shortlisted? The first minister is unaware of the applicants' identities and will now be asking the head of the civil service about the integrity of the process.

"Sinn F茅in is the only party in Stormont to have discriminated in an appointment process on the basis of religion and their minister's excuses were described as implausible and lacking credibility'."