Kate Beattie describes the lessons that can learn from the United Kingdom's Human Rights Act which has been in operation for five years. She explains how the mechanisms for protecting rights are designed to ensure that power is not transferred from the parliament to the courts and how this has not happened. She also explains that the main problems experienced in the UK have related to the public service’s reluctance to embrace the rights, but that the Parliamentary Joint Committee and the declarations of incompatibility have led to improvements in processes and laws.