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A consultation process on a Public Health Bill brought forward by the Stormont Executive has been extended by two weeks, after a controversy arose about provisions critics say would lead to forced vaccinations, something the Health Minister says he opposes.
A public consultation on the Northern Ireland Public Health Bill will now run until October 14th, with campaigers saying they believe such an extension as result of public pressure, while urging the public to continue to raise concerns and engage directly with their MLAs.
The Bill includes a section relating to restrictions and emergency powers, which states:
“In relation to a person, the regulations may impose a ‘special restriction or requirement’ such as requiring a person to submit a medical examination; be removed to a hospital or other suitable establishment; be detained in a hospital or other suitable establishment; keep a person in isolation or quarantine.”
The Bill further outlines how the regulations would “require a person to be vaccinated or to receive other prophylactic treatment; a person to be disinfected or decontaminated; that the person provide information or answer questions about the person’s health or other circumstances; that the person’s health be monitored and the results reported; that the person attend training or advice sessions on how to reduce the risk of infecting or contaminating others; that the person be subject to restrictions as to where the person may go or with whom the person has contact; that the person abstain from working or trading.”
The Public Health Bill should be “consistent with the WHO International Health Regulations,” the legislation states in a recommendation section.
The aim and objectives of a draft Bill, according to the Department of Health, include updating “outdated public health legislation to make it fit for purpose in order to better manage 21st century public health emergencies.”
The draft bill will also “align with UK jurisdictions where appropriate, to better comply with IHR 2005, Human Rights and Data Protection legislation; and to widen the scope of current public health legislation to create permanent powers to enable Northern Ireland to respond to public health scenarios on an ‘all-hazards basis.”
Have your say on the proposed new Public Health Bill for Northern Ireland.
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) September 19, 2024
The deadline has been extended until 14 October 2024 to help maximise the number of responses.
The planned bill will help ensure NI can respond to a wider range of severe threats to public health.
More… pic.twitter.com/zx5O5KByLi
Campaign group ‘Stop the NI Health Bill’ say that “the clock is ticking” regarding the consultation process, claiming that the Bill will threaten medical freedom “with forced exams, quarantine, and vaccinations.”
“It extends emergency powers, allowing authorities to impose severe restrictions without consent. This bill undermines human rights, limits personal choice, and bypasses true public consultation,” the organisation, which is spearheading a public awareness campaign, adds.
According to the NI Department of Health, the planned bill will replace the 1967 Public Health Act, “ensuring Northern Ireland can respond to a wider range of severe threats to public health.” While the 1967 Act focused on infectious diseases, the new bill will also cover infection and contamination from biological, chemical and radiological sources, the department states.
Northern Ireland-based civil liberties group Advocacy Rights Network (ARN), say that the proposals will “fundamentally change the relationship of the government with its people from ‘governing with’ to ‘being ruled over’”.
The organisation has also hit out at the consultation process itself – claiming that the response document “seems designed to build consensus for the outcome the Department of Health knows will happen.” The group claims that people have not been given a choice regarding a public health law that will be “dramatically changed.”
The group says the process itself is time-consuming, pointing to how the online consultation includes 43 questions, along with tick-box questions and a comment section.
“The people of Northern Ireland are beginning to grasp the enormity of these proposals and their potential impact,” the group said in a statement, adding that “fairness demands” that the Department of Health in Northern Ireland “do more than is already being done to bring this to people’s attention.”
Further, the group has called for the legislation to potentially be scrapped altogether, in favour of a referendum. Consultation, ARN says, should have come previously, when proposals were still at a formative stage.
In a statement, ARN said that the proposed legislation will “will intrude into every area of people’s lives,” adding: “The legislation extends to premises, people and ‘things.’”
“This gives the authorities (in the form of the police and other enforcement agencies) powers which they have never had before, including powers to seize people’s property, to enter premises to disinfect or decontaminate. There is no doubt that these powers will be open to abuse by over zealous officials, or poorly trained constables. The language describing people’s deceased loved ones as dead bodies – categorised as ‘things’ to be subjected to disinfection or decontamination is not only insensitive but insulting.”
Lawyers for Justice Ireland, a group of pro-bono Irish lawyers who previously rased concerns regarding the Hate Speech Bill, urged people to “act” while describing the Bill as a “clear attempt to erode the fundamental rights of citizens and a shocking step towards tyranny.”
Vaccine Injured and Bereaved Support Northern Ireland (VIBS NI), meanwhile, say they have secured a meeting with the Health Protection Legislation Branch in relation to the “very concerning” legislation.
“As a group of volunteers who support and give a voice to the vaccine injured and bereaved of the Covid 19 injections, we are alarmed that the consultation proposes removing people from their homes, isolating them or putting in quarantine with the requirement of vaccines,” the group said in a statement.
“Having so many Injured and bereaved already through the Covid 19 injection programme, concerns have been raised on the enforcing of any medical treatment. It is important that the voices of those affected by recent injections have their voices heard and added to the consultation process.We will report on the meeting which will take place on Tuesday 24th September.”
Health Minister and Ulster Unionist Party politician, Mike Nesbitt, said in a statement that he would encourage individuals, groups or organisations to respond to the consultation – claiming in a statement posted on the Department’s website that he is “not in favour” of forced vaccinations.
“I would encourage any individual, group, or organisation with a view on the consultation to submit a response ahead of the new closing date of 14 October. This is your opportunity to help shape this important legislation,” he said.
“There has been significant public interest in the consultation. As we seek to replace outdated legislation, it is important that we consider all options. I am not in favour of mandatory vaccination even in limited and tightly prescribed circumstances. Nevertheless, it is right that we have a public conversation about all potential options in the public consultation, as we decide what should be in the final Bill to protect us all.
“Unfortunately, there has been some misunderstanding about the planned new bill.
“Any draft legislation emerging from the consultation must go through the Northern Ireland Assembly’s normal scrutiny processes, including a detailed review by the Health Committee and an Assembly debate followed by votes of the full Assembly.
“It is important we have vigorous debate on the proposed legislation, which is why I welcome the strong interest in the consultation.
“I am determined that the planned Bill will strike the correct balance between the state’s responsibility to protect the public’s health, our collective responsibility to protect each other, and the autonomy, rights and dignity of individuals. The public consultation process and the subsequent Assembly scrutiny processes will help us achieve that balance,” Mr Nesbitt said.
It comes as Health Spokesperson for the DUP, Diane Dodds, told the Party’s conference on Saturday that a response is currently being prepared regarding the proposed legislation.
“As party spokesperson on Health I am currently preparing a response on the proposed new Public Health Legislation, from the Department of Health. This has caused much controversy because of its potential impact on personal liberties and freedoms,” she said.
The Democratic Unionist Party has said that it “takes any proposed legislation that could impact personal freedoms very seriously.”
“As you will be aware, during the pandemic, DUP Ministers consistently raised concerns regarding the closures of schools, he scale of restrictions on businesses, and were the only Party in the Executive to vote against the introduction of Covid vaccine passports,” the party said in a statement.
It comes as MLA Paul Frew hit out at the Minister for Health and the Bill, writing on X: “The UUP brought in vaccine certification scheme that coerced folk to talk medicine causing severe adverse reactions!! It’s a bit strange proposing something in a consultation so severe as mandatory vaccination in violation of your human rights, then saying you don’t support it?”
The UUP brought in vaccine certification scheme that coerced folk to take medicine causing severe adverse reactions!! It’s a bit strange proposing something in a consultation so severe as mandatory vaccinations in violation of your human rights, then saying you don’t support it? https://t.co/a9d2kCqy7c
— Paul Frew (@paulfrewDUP) September 19, 2024
The other Stormont Parties have been contacted for comment on the Bill.
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