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A newspaper supplement on advice on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

An important consultation about the future rights of everyone in Northern Ireland has begun. The government is inviting views on A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and this is your chance to say what you think.

The proposal for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland was a key commitment of the 1998 Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. It was further endorsed by our local politicians at St Andrews in 2006. The idea, however, had been around for much longer. Throughout our troubled history all shades of political opinion have at one time or another advocated a Bill of Rights.

The reason why this idea has been around for so long is because having our rights guaranteed and gathered together in one document, where everyone can see them, is crucial for peace and democratic stability. While the Agreement set out how politicians should behave towards one other, a Bill of Rights will set out how, in a new Northern Ireland, the government should behave towards us, the people.

When the Human Rights Commission was created, it was asked to advise the government on whether there should be a Bill of Rights and, if so, what it ought to include. We consulted widely on this question with all sections of our society, young and old, women and men, Protestant and Catholic, ethnic minorities, disabled people and many others.