Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights, which extends the anti-discrimination provisions of the Convention, was signed by the then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on 4 November 2000 at the Ministerial Conference on Human Rights in Rome. The primary responsibility for the ratification of Protocol 12 lies with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and I understand that this is currently under examination by that Department.
Ireland has a comprehensive anti-discrimination protection legal code in place since the enactment of the Employment Equality and Equal Status Acts which prohibit discrimination on nine separate grounds. It has also put in place an equality infrastructure which offers redress for individuals to pursue complaints in regard to discrimination experienced on any of these grounds. Ireland, has, therefore, already provided in national law for many of the provisions of Protocol 12. Ten ratifications are needed for this protocol to come into force; to date Georgia and Cyprus are the only states to have ratified the protocol.
