EU (Withdrawal) Bill: Professor Gordon Anthony to give evidence on the implications of the Bill for Northern Ireland
Professor Gordon Anthony of Queen's University Belfast will give evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee on Wednesday 6 December as part of its scrutiny of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.
Gordon Anthony is Professor of Public Law in the School of Law, Queen's University Belfast. Educated at Queen's and the Academy of European Public Law, he has held visiting positions at institutions in Greece, Holland, France, Portugal, and the United States. His main research interests are in the areas of judicial review, public authority liability, and the relationship between UK law and European law. He has published widely in these areas.
The Constitution Committee has already raised its concerns with the Bill in particular the lack of legal certainty, excessive powers granted to Ministers and the need for meaningful scrutiny by Parliament. As part of its current inquiry, it is also looking at the implications of the Bill for the future of the devolution settlements.
The evidence session will start at 10:15am on Wednesday 6 December in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.
Questions are likely to focus on devolution, the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and human rights among other issues. Questions are likely to include:
- What, in your view, are the main implications of the Bill for the balance of the power within the Union and the future of the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland?
- References to the European Union appear throughout the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Will they need to be revised and, if so, how feasible will this be?
- The Human Rights Act will continue to apply to Northern Ireland. To what extent does this allay any concerns about the Charter of Fundamental Rights?
- To what extent does the Bill allow for a possible “special status” for Northern Ireland to be created?
