Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to her oral contribution to the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into abortion in Northern Ireland on 27 February 2019, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to give legal standing to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Committee.

I have secured collective agreement across Government to commit to introduce legislation to address the Commission’s ‘own motion’ legal standing under the Human Rights Act 1998, via its powers under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This will happen at the earliest opportunity, before the end of 2019, to ensure it has the legal mandate to bring cases in its own name before the UK domestic courts.

We are currently working through options for the appropriate legislative vehicle to deliver this fix at the earliest opportunity.