§ Mr. DunnTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has received the nineteenth report of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Patrick MayhewThe report for the period 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 has been published today, and copies have been laid before Parliament.
698WThe Commission has considered a wide and varied range of matters during the period under review. They include important questions relating to the findings of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice and how they could be applied to Northern Ireland and a conclusion to the Commission's examination of the problems of under-achievement in schools. I welcome also its careful and considered views on security-related issues. They raise a number of issues which I shall keep under review.
I very much value the advice and insight which the Commission gives me on a wide range of human rights issues. The Commission's recommendations have influenced the evolution of a number of important policy proposals affecting the rights of children. I look forward to the outcome of its work on disability, and to the important contribution that it will make to the employment equality review.
Copies of my response to the Commission's 19th report and the report itself have been placed in the Library.