| Step 1: |
Public launch of consultative phase; establishment of Working Groups; call for submissions (deadline for responses to the Commission - 28 February 2001) |
| Step 2: |
Human Rights Commission issues draft Bill of Rights for consultation (September 2001) |
| Step 3: |
Public debate; submissions to the Commission in response to their draft (deadline - December 2001) |
| Step 4: |
Human Rights Commission considers submissions and identifies issues requiring further clarification - launches Phase 3 in December 2002 which involves deeper exploration of these issues and increased political contact. |
| Step 5: |
Roundtable forum involving all political parties and representatives of civil society to be established to discuss Bill of Rights - expected 2004. Findings would go to HRC to inform their advice to Secretary of State, probably not before end 2004/early 2005. |
| Step 6 (?) |
Secretary of State MAY decide to launch consultative phase (this happened in response to the Patten report, the Criminal Justice Review, and other major proposals). IF SO, the normal consultation period lasts 8 weeks. |
| Step 7: |
Secretary of State lays draft legislation before parliament. On the basis of past experience, it would seem that the earliest this could happen would be in the Autumn of 2005 or early 2006. |
| Step 8: |
The draft legislation passes through the Houses of Commons and the Lords (this phase normally takes several months). |
| Step 9: |
The legislation comes into force and Northern Ireland has its own Bill of Rights (2006/7?). |
| Step 10: |
Individuals and groups begin to put the Bill of Rights into practice: teaching about rights in schools, taking cases through the courts, using the rights framework to inform dispute resolution etc.
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