The report of the working group established in October 2011 to advise Minister Shatter on the merger of the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority was published on Friday 20 April. A central element of the report was that the new body must be "clearly and unambiguously" independent of government and that it must comply with the UN Paris Principles. These principles relate to the status of National Human Rights Institutions. The report stated that “the Act setting up the new IHRC should contain explicit provisions to ensure that the new organisation clearly and unambiguously meets both criteria”. It further stated that “the IHREC must be fully accountable, both financially and as to its substantive work”. Minister Shatter welcomed the report, saying that it provided a comprehensive package of recommendations. He also thanked those 69 members of the public and representatives of civil society who had made submissions to the working group.
A press release from FLAC reiterated the importance of the new body being fully independent of the government. "It is noteworthy and commendable that the report suggest that the new body should have all the powers of the existing Human Rights Commission and Equality Authority, and that there should be a new statutory duty on public bodies to have regard to equality and human rights in making decisions," said FLAC Director General Noeline Blackwell. However FLAC cautioned that the commendable recommendations in the report will be undermined if sufficient resources are not made available to the new body.
A statement by Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance said that a particularly important recommendation made in the report is that the Commission should take strategically valuable human rights litigation. The Children’s Rights Alliance saidnew body must ensure that marginalised and vulnerable families who do not have the means to gain legal assistance are assisted in obtaining access to justice.
Click here to read the report of the Working Group.
Click here for an article by the Irish Times.
Click here for a press release from the Department of Justice.
Click here to read a paper presented by Donncha O'Connell of NUI Galway at the recent inaugural Sheehy-Skeffington Spring School at Liberty Hall. This paper mentions the Working Group's report, and generally traces the development of human rights in Ireland.