Justice Committee Chairman welcomes announcement of selection panel for Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

In June, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence published the Heads of a Bill to replace the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission with a new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The Minister invited the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality to examine the Heads of the Bill and undertake a further focussed consultation process with civil society and other interested parties on its content.

Deputy Stanton TD said: “The Committee made three observations around the process by which the new Commission will be selected and appointed, namely that the Panel, as far as possible, should be gender balanced, that Members of the Panel would have a proven track record and expertise in areas relevant to the work of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; and a that member of the Panel should be excluded from being a member of the Commission. I welcome the Minister’s announcement of this panel, which takes our observations on board, and we look forward to meeting the Panel Members when the Dáil resumes in the Autumn.”

View panel via Department's website.

For further information contact:

Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 4484
M: 087 6949926
F: +3531 618 4551

Committee Membership

Deputies:

Niall Collins, Michael Creed, Alan Farrell, Anne Ferris (Vice-Chairman), John Paul Phelan, Seán Kenny, Finian McGrath, Jonathan O’Brien and David Stanton (Chairman)
 
Senators:

Ivana Bacik, Paul Bradford, Martin Conway, Rónán Mullen, Denis O’Donovan, Katherine Zappone.