asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is satisfied that there is no immediate need for the setting up of an independent body to investigate civil rights complaints in Northern Ireland; and, if not, the advice he would give to those persons who may have such complaints; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Northern Ireland Civil Rights.
43.
A number of specialised bodies and agencies already exist in Northern Ireland for the purposes of investigating complaints under the various civil rights headings.
The Standing Advisory Commission for Human Rights was established under the Northern Ireland Constitutional Act, (1973), for the purpose of advising the Secretary of State on the adequacy and effectiveness of the law for the time being in force in preventing discrimination on the ground of religious belief or political opinion and in providing redress for persons aggrieved by discrimination on either ground. In practice, the Standing Advisory Commission has also addressed the range of human rights issues in Northern Ireland.
The Fair Employment Agency was established under the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act, (1976), with the duties of promoting equality of opportunity in employment and working for the elimination of discrimination. The Act outlawed discrimination in employment on grounds of religious belief or political opinion. The Equal Opportunities Commission was set up under the Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order, 1976, to work for the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage and to promote equality of opportunity between men and women generally.
The police complaints procedures in Northern Ireland are currently being revised. Last July, the British Government published a draft Order in Council setting out proposals for a new Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland. The proposed commission, which will supersede the present Police Complaints Board, will have extensive independent supervisory powers in relation to the investigation of complaints against the police.
The independent investigation of complaints about public maladministration in Northern Ireland is handled by two ombudsmen, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Commissioner for Complaints. The function of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration is to investigate written complaints about maladministration within any of the Northern Ireland Government Departments. The function of the Commissioner for Complaints is to investigate written complaints made directly to him by persons claiming to have suffered injuries through maladministration on the part of local authorities and boards.
Each of the bodies mentioned above is an independent body. Taken together, they cover most civil rights issues which arise in Northern Ireland and afford a wide range of advice and assistance to individuals with civil rights complaints. The safeguarding of the human and civil rights of all citizens in Northern Ireland is a matter of the highest concern to me. Particular human rights issues are taken up through the machinery of the Anglo-Irish Conference. Furthermore, I follow the work of these bodies I have mentioned with close interest. Under Article 6 of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. I am entitled, as Irish Joint Chairman of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, to put forward views and proposals on the role and composition of public bodies. The article explicitly lists four of the bodies mentioned above:
—the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights;
—the Fair Employment Agency;
—the Equal Opportunities Commission;
—the Police Complaints Board.
The question of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland is presently under consideration in the framework of the Anglo-Irish Conference.