JOINT COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sub-Committee on Human Rights) díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 18 Nov 2008

Business of Sub-Committee.

Chairman

I remind members and observers to ensure their mobile phones and BlackBerries are switched off because they interfere with the equipment in the room. The minutes of our meeting of 25 June have been circulated. There are no matters arising.

I warmly welcome the delegation of parliamentary officials from the Parliament of Uganda. They are here on a fact-finding mission regarding how we conduct our business. I understand they have a busy programme in the coming days and hope they enjoy their visit to Ireland.

We have several items of correspondence. A letter dated 30 September was sent to the sub-committee from Justin Kilcullen, the director of Trócaire, with an attached copy of a letter sent to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I propose that we note the letter and discuss it at a future meeting.

Reports have been prepared by the Oireachtas Library regarding the resources of parliamentary human rights committees and national human rights commissioners internationally. This is interesting research which was conducted on foot of a request by Deputy Higgins. If members agree, we can discuss it at our next meeting. Is that agreed? Agreed. I thank all those who were involved in the research project.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights in NUI Galway has sent us its activity report for 2006-07. It is proposed that the report be noted. Is that agreed? Agreed.

A press cutting from The Irish Times of Wednesday, 5 November carries the headline “Human rights body says 24% cut makes it unworkable”. This pertains to a cut in funding for the Irish Human Rights Commission. As members will be aware, we were given a presentation from the commission’s president, Dr. Maurice Manning, at our last meeting. I propose to write to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform about that. Should we invite Dr. Manning back to the sub-committee to hear the implications of the budget cut? I would not be happy to run on what the newspapers report and it would not take long to deal with budget-related matters. Is that agreeable to members?

Senator David Norris

I strongly support the Chair's proposal. It would be useful to hear Dr. Manning's account because he has been moderate in his reaction to the cuts. I think they are very severe and I hope to raise them today on the Adjournment of the Seanad. An all-party group such as this sub-committee could make a valuable intervention.

I was asked to attend the sub-committee to make up a quorum but I am in the middle of recording an interview about human rights and will have to leave after ten minutes. Deputy Higgins contacted my office to give his apologies because he is unwell.

Chairman

I fully understand.

Senator David Norris

I have watched the film and was very moved by it. I regret leaving and do not intend any discourtesy by doing so. I will read the report of the meeting and the sub-committee has my full support.

Chairman

I thank Senator Norris. We are agreed that we will ask the clerk to the sub-committee to contact Dr. Manning to get a handle on the impact of funding and to invite him to make a submission to or appear before the sub-committee. Equally, however, we should not raise any false hopes with him. If allocations are made according to what is in the purse, we will have to see how we can get the most out of them. We will ascertain the impact and, if required, we can pursue the matter with the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Finance. We should get our bearings first, however.

Senator David Norris

A productivity arrangement could be reached. I am aware that in the present circumstances the Government cannot allow the budget to unravel but the Irish Human Rights Commission is the ideal body to supervise the implementation of various international treaties and conventions. An Irish body is required to perform this duty but the commission has not been asked to fill the role. This work would justify supplemental funding and would avoid a loss of face on the part of the Government. This sub-committee could explore that option without undermining the Government's position. We could devise imaginative ways of assisting both the Government and the commission.

Chairman

We are open to what can be done in the current climate in terms of getting more for less. We do not want the commission's work to be restricted but we recognise that we are in difficult economic and budgetary times. Our first port of call should be the commission and Dr. Manning, who is doing a tremendous job. We gave him our accolades when he last met us. We would like that work to be continued. Let us co-operate with him and his team on achieving our goals for 2008. Let us see if we can innovate along the lines suggested by Senator Norris. I have no doubt that, with the input of other members and Dr. Manning, we can come up with a number of helpful formulas. We might leave the initial contact to the clerk to the sub-committee and his team.