The need for a Bill of Rights in Northern Ireland has been debated for
many years. Proposals were contained in the White Paper on the
Northern Ireland Constitution Act 19731, the Anglo-Irish Agreement
19852 and the Framework Documents 1995.3 The Northern Ireland
Human Rights Commission’s predecessor, the Standing Advisory
Commission on Human Rights, produced a report in 1977, in which it
argued for the incorporation of the European Convention on Human
Rights as a Bill of Rights for the UK. However, it also recognised that
the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland could provide a basis
for additional rights
NIHRC