Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 6 Dec 2000

Vol. 527 No. 4

Written Answers. - Human Rights Issues.

Alan Shatter

Question:

160 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the names submitted to him for possible appointment to the Human Rights Commission by the selection committee chaired by a person (details supplied); the named persons who received the committee's unanimous recommendation; and the names of those selected who are currently members of non-governmental organisations concerned with human rights issues. [28821/00]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The selection committee, in inviting persons to apply for appointment to the Human Rights Commission, guaranteed in paragraph 6 of the application form that subject only to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 1997, all applications would be treated in strict confidence. In light of these assurances, the Deputy will appreciate it would neither be fair to the applicants concerned, nor respectful of the work of the selection committee, for me to outline the recommendations of the selection committee to this House. The Deputy will further appreciate that, similar to any other matter considered by Government, it would be inappropriate to make public the detail of the proposals submitted to Government for its consideration for these appointments.

As already announced, the Government yesterday offered appointments to the eight positions of part-time commissioner on the commission to the following persons from the total of 177 applicants who applied to the selection committee for consideration: Fionnuala Aoláin, Professor of Law, University of Ulster; William Binchy, Professor of Law, Trinity College Dublin; Olive Braiden, Former Director of the Rape Crisis Centre and currently a member of the Court Service Board; Robert Daly, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, UCC and member of the Southern Health Board; Suzanne Egan, Lecturer in Human Rights Law, UCD; Jane Liddy, Former Irish member of the European Commission on Human Rights; Tom O'Higgins, Chairman of Concern Worldwide and previously senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers; Meryvn Taylor, Solicitor and former Minister for Equality and Law Reform and currently the Irish member of the European Monitoring Committee on Racism and Xenophobia.

The Government wishes to place on the record its great appreciation and regard for the work of the selection committee. The task undertaken by it was an onerous one given the very high standard and number of the applications it had to consider and the very fine distinctions that had to be drawn between candidates of the highest calibre. In the final analysis and having regard to the recommendations of the selection committee, the Government took some time to ensure that the balance of skills and representation on the commission was, in its view, the best that could be achieved in line with the statutory and inter national criteria that are relevant in the case of national institutions of this type.