BORF 6

NORTHERN IRELAND BILL OF RIGHTS FORUM

WORKING GROUPS

Circulated 17 May 2007

This paper presents four options for the Working Groups of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum (the Forum).

OPTION A lists the nine Working Groups used by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and adds to it a Working Group on Women. Note that there is no Working Group on civil and political rights under this option, raising the question how these rights would be covered.

OPTION B consolidates the ten Working Groups listed in Option A into five Working Groups. A Working Group on civil and political rights is added to this option and the development of a preamble is added to the tasks of the Implementation Working Group. So this option has six groups.

OPTION C proposes three general Working Groups.

OPTION D lists the Working Groups proposed by the Chair in his process paper (circulated 8 May 2007). Note that the Working Group on “Development and well-being” has been placed after the labour and employment group and re-titled “Other economic and social rights” (responding to a strong call at the last meeting for explicit reference to economic and social rights) and that the Working Group on ‘Disadvantaged and vulnerable groups’ has been changed to ‘Population sectors’.

Forum members are invited to participate in a “straw vote” on the options, indicating their preferences from 1 to 4. Preferences should be notified to the secretariat no later than close of business 21 May. The preferred option will be included in the revised process paper to be distributed by the chair for Forum approval after the straw vote has been tallied.

OPTION A:

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission’s Independent Bill Of Rights Working Groups

1. Children and young people

This group would use the report of the Children and Young People’s Working Group as a base document.

2. Criminal justice

This group would use the report of the Criminal Justice Working Group as a base document.

3. Culture and identity

This group would use the report of the Culture and Identity Working Group as a base document.

4. Economic and social rights

This group would use the report of the Economic and Social Rights Working Group as a base document.

5. Education

This group would use the report of the Education Working Group as a base document.

6. Equality

This group would use the report of the Equality Working Group as a base document.

7. Language

This group would use the report of the Language Working Group as a base document.

8. Victims

This group would use the report of the Victims Working Group document.

9. Women (Forum addition)

10. Implementation

This group would use the report of the Implementation Working Group as a base document.

OPTION B: 

Consolidated Working Groups

1. Children and young people and women

This group would use the report of the Children and Young People’s Working Group as a base document.

2. Civil and political rights

3. Criminal justice and victims

This group would use the reports of the Criminal Justice Working Group and the Victims Working Group as base documents.

4. Economic and social rights and education and language

This group would use the reports of the Economic and Social Rights Working Group, the Education Working Group, and the Language Working Group as base documents.

5. Equality and culture and identity

This group would use the reports of the Equality Working Group and the Culture and Identity Working Group as base documents.

6. Preamble and implementation

This group would use the report of the Implementation Working Group as a base document.

OPTION C:

General Working Groups

1. Preamble and implementation/enforcement

This group would use the report of the Implementation Working Group as a base document.

2. Civil and political rights

This group would use the report of the Equality Working Group, the Criminal Justice Working Group, the Victims Working Group, and the Children and Young People’s Working Group as base documents.

3. Economic, social and cultural rights

This group would use the reports of the Economic and Social Rights Working Group, the Education Working Group, the Culture and Identity Working Group, the Language Working Group, and the Children and Young People’s Working Group as base documents.

OPTION D:

Chair’s proposed Working Groups

1. Preamble

2. Discrimination and equality

This group would use the report of the Equality Working Group as a base document.

3. Civil and political participation

4. Cultural, religious and linguistic rights

This group would use the reports of the Culture and Identity Working Group and the Language Working Group as base documents.

5. Due process and criminal justice

This group would use the reports of the Criminal Justice Working Group and the Victims Working Group as base documents.

6. Labour and employment rights

This group would use the report of the Economic and Social Rights Working Group as a base document.

7. Other economic and social rights: rights to health, education, housing, and social security

This group would use the reports of the Economic and Social Rights Working Group and the Education Working Group as base documents.

8. Personal security and integrity

This group would use the report of the Victims Working Group as a base document.

9. Population sectors

This group would use the reports of the Children and Young People’s Working Group as a base document.

10. Interpretation/application & enforcement/justiciability/ effective remedy

This group would use the report of the Implementation Working Group as a base document.