Vol. 522 No. 2
370 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will appoint the chair and members of the Human Rights Commission; the procedure and criteria for these appointments; if he will follow the guidelines on the Commission on the Status of Women as accepted by the Government regarding gender balance when making these appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17932/00]
The Human Rights Act provides that the Human Rights Commission will have nine members including its president and it specifies that at least four members of the commission will be men and that at least four members will be women. The Act also emphasises the importance of pluralism in the making of such appointments, and it stipulates in line with a requirement in the 1993 UN Paris Principles, that the members of the commission should have some background in, or connection with, human rights. The membership of the commission must also reflect the nature of Irish society.
It is the Government's intention that the members of the commission, including the president, will be appointed in accordance with these criteria as soon as possible to meet the commitment made in the joint statement to the parties in Northern Ireland dated 5 May 2000. It is also the Government's intention that the procedure for making these appointments will be approached in a spirit of openness and transparency.
