What will human rights in Wales look like after Brexit? – National Assembly committee consultation

Published 14/12/2016   |   Last Updated 14/12/2016

​A new inquiry will look at the potential impact of Brexit and of the UK Government’s anticipated British Bill of Rights on human rights in Wales.

The inquiry by the National Assembly’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee comes at a time when the UK prepares to leave the EU, and the UK Government has proposed to replace the Human Rights Act 1998 with a new law which could curtail the role of the European Court of Human Rights.

Therefore the Committee will be looking at:

  • The impact of the UK’s withdrawal from European Union on human rights protection in Wales;
  • The impact of the UK Government’s proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 and replace it with a UK Bill of Rights; and
  • Public perceptions about human rights in Wales, in particular how understandable and relevant they are to Welsh people.

In a statement delivered to the National Assembly at the Senedd on Wednesday 14 December, the Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, John Griffiths AM, set out what the Committee intended to achieve:

“Human rights is a broad and complex topic and for our first piece of specific work on this issue the Committee has decided on a focused and high-level approach.

“During this inquiry we will be looking at the potential impact of Brexit and of the UK Government’s anticipated British Bill of Rights on human rights in Wales. We are also interested in building a picture of public perceptions about human rights in Wales.

“I see the work the Committee is launching today as part of a rights-based approach to scrutiny throughout the Fifth Assembly.

“I expect our work programme to combine explicitly human rights focused inquiries with examining the broad range of topics within our remit from a rights perspective.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to the inquiry should visit the Committee’s web pages for more information.

The closing date for the consultation is 10 February 2017.