SINN Féin had said a proposed Public Health Bill for Northern Ireland “is not fit for purpose,” claiming that equality and human rights elements have been ignored.
The plans have attracted considerable controversy, with fears that Stormont could introduce measures like mandatory vaccinations in a public health emergency.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has already said he does not back mandatory vaccinations and extended a public consultation until Monday to avoid “confusion,” but this was not enough to stop hundreds attending a protest outside Belfast City Hall on Saturday.
The DUP have already opposed the “sweeping powers” suggested in the consultation, particularly over mandatory vaccinations, accusing the Health Minister of “a huge overreach” and undermining public confidence.
Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson Liz Kimmins, who also chairs the Stormont Health Committee, has now objected over the apparent lack of an equality and human rights impact assessments - but did not reference the concerns over vaccinations or other mandatory powers.
“There is a need to ensure that public health legislation is up to date and fit for purpose,” she said.
“However, any proposals from the Health Department for a new Public Health Bill must be consistent with people’s human rights and equality requirements.
“The absence of both an Equality Impact Assessment and a Human Rights Impact Assessment from this consultation document is a serious and unacceptable omission.
“The Department of Health’s proposals and the consultation are not fit for purpose and Sinn Féin does not support the approach being pursued by the Minister for Health.”
On Tuesday, a department spokesperson shared a link to an Equality Impact Assessment document in the consultation.
The planned bill is designed to replace the 1967 Public Health Act, “ensuring Northern Ireland can respond to a wider range of threats to public health.”
One section of the consultation asks if the public think the authorities should be able to impose certain restrictions in the event of a threat to public health.
This includes “requiring a person to submit to medical examination,” “be removed to a hospital or other suitable establishment” or to “require a person to be vaccinated”.
As well as infectious diseases, the bill would also cover threats from biological, chemical and radiological sources.
The Department of Health has published a fact file on the ongoing public consultation on a new Public Health Bill.
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) October 4, 2024
➡️Read it here: https://t.co/EZh2D315fY pic.twitter.com/4PWeQV5Xdx
Earlier this month, the Department also published a fact file to counter “misunderstandings” about the consultation.
It stated that certain public health powers in relation to households, businesses and schools were needed “on very rare occasions” when someone may be ignoring a public health threat that themselves and others at risk.
It also said that “significant safeguards” would be in place, meaning a magistrate’s court order would be needed to enter someone’s home, compel them to undergo a medical examination or to be kept in isolation or in hospital.
Existing legislation already allows for someone with an infectious disease to be removed to hospital or detained.
