Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Bill

Due to the length of the bill, a copy of it has been made here.

This Act was written by The Most Honourable model-avery LT LD DBE CT CVO PC MP MLA, Duchess of Ulster, Secretary of State for Family Affairs, Youth and Equality and First Minister of Northern Ireland on behalf of His Majesty’s Government and the Northern Irish Executive with the approval of the Irish Government in line with our commitments under the Good Friday Agreement. It is additionally sponsored by His Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party. This act was almost entirely based on the draft written by Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast which in itself was based on the NIHRC Advice to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, further inspiration was drawn from the Lords Committee Report on the Northern Irish Bill of Rights which was authored by model-avery and Lady_Aya.

Opening Speech:

Speaker,

A new age is upon is, for decades government after government, and executive after executive have worked on delivering this vital piece of legislation. Now a quarter of a century after it was first proposed, we stand here having finally delivered it. This specific version of the bill of rights has been in the works for almost 2 years now, I want to give a special thanks to Lady_Aya who gave over a year of hard work towards this bill, especially when it was in its early stages. I also want to reflect on my own journey, having poured many weeks of research and drafting into this over the last few years, it truly is my proudest achievement.

In recognising the unique historical context of Northern Ireland, we acknowledge the challenges that have shaped our society. This Bill of Rights represents a collective effort by all parties and communities to bridge divides, foster understanding, and create a shared vision for the future, a future where the rights and freedoms of all peoples are protected and upheld. The fundamental principles enshrined in this bill reflect the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland and how far we have come as a country, the right to life, the right to democracy, and proportional representation, the right to choose your own community, and be an Irish and British citizen, the right to your identity and culture.

While there are procedures in place for temporarily taking away these rights, there are certain rights which cannot be abridged, which can be seen in Section 18, Article 9. Abridgements can also be challenged in court and there are many checks and balances in place to ensure your rights are always protected. This bill is meant to hold against any attempts to illegitimately repeal some or all of the bills provisions, a referendum must take place for this to happen and the decision must be approved both by this parliament and a cross-community vote in Stormont.

This bill will enforce these rights in a number of different ways, mostly through the courts and legislatures. The courts can rule on whether provisions of bills are compatible with the Bill of Rights, and MP’s and MLA’s must make a statement of compatibility when introducing legislation which effects Northern Ireland. Committees will also be established for matters involving the Bill of Rights, and the Secretary of State must review the Bill of Rights before parliament every so often.

This bill finally delivers on the promises we made under the Good Friday Agreement, no longer will parties include promises to deliver on a Bill of Rights in manifestos, and no longer will governments have to break their promises as the people of Northern Ireland observe the never ending cycle of promising but not delivering on a Bill of Rights. The day we pass this bill will go down in history and I truly hope we do pass it. I urge members to scrutinise it and I urge members to amend certain sections if necessary. However ultimately this bill was drafted and approved by so many different bodies and I am confident this is the best version of the bill that we can pass through this house. Thank you.

This division will end on the 22nd January at 10pm GMT.