Thank you for inviting me, as chairperson of the Equality Authority, to be here today to speak on the heads of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2012. It should first be stated that from the time the merger between the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission was signalled, the authority adopted a positive and constructive position on the matter. This was made clear in its submission to the working group established by the Minister for Justice and Equality to consider and advise on the matter. The working group on the Irish human rights and equality commission did excellent work and we are pleased that so many of the its recommendations have been taken on board in the heads of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2012.
I understand that the submission of the Equality Authority on this matter has been provided to the committee already, so I propose to set out here what the Equality Authority stands for and has achieved since its establishment over 11 years ago. Since then, the Equality Authority has been to the forefront of the protection and promotion of equality in Ireland. It is recognised internationally and has built coherent partnerships with its colleague organisations in the EU and beyond. It has always worked in partnership with a wide range of organisations, dealing with all of the nine grounds which are covered by the legislation under its remit, in constructive and imaginative partnerships and campaigns.
The Equality Authority has built up an excellent reputation and regard among the general public, due to the information and advice and the excellent service it provides. The authority has always been an open, accessible organisation, which reaches out to organisations working in this field, and which is welcoming and supportive of people who may be vulnerable or who may have experienced or be at risk of discrimination. It is essential that the new human rights and equality commission retains this essential character and spirit of support which has been so integral to striving for equality in Ireland for the last decade.
The extensive range of activities of the commission envisaged in the heads of the Bill reflects the importance of its mission. In this regard, it will be crucial to ensure that the resources available to the new commission recognise, and are commensurate with, the important tasks it is charged with performing. In particular, the staff complement, the cost of transition and start up, and an appropriate accessible location must be supported.
We in the Equality Authority have experienced the challenge of having to continue service delivery in the context of significant funding cuts, all of which have been well recorded. In a time of recession, vulnerable people are at greatest risk of discrimination. We urge all committee members here today to fight for the increase in resources to human rights, and in particular the equality agenda, to ensure that ordinary people have a place that is clearly accessible to them at a time of discrimination. It is also important that the new body continues its promotion and advocacy role which underpins the culture of equality and anti-discrimination across all aspects of our society and makes our economy a good place to invest in.
I want to draw committee members' attention to some of the major achievements of the authority. Over 120,000 people have used our information services. We promoted national awareness of rights through initiatives like "Anti Racist Workplace Week", "Say No To Ageism", the EU "Year of Equal Opportunities for All", and the campaign on reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. Our casework has protected people from discrimination across nine grounds in employment and in accessing goods, facilities, services, accommodation and education. We have established good case law in insurance, access to education, access to licensed premises, anti-harassment, pregnancy discrimination, equal opportunity, equal pay, and have equal gender balanced memberships in all but two golf clubs in Ireland arising from the Portmarnock case. Our research and legal policy combine to influence policy on civil partnership and equal marriage, carers, older people, children's rights and good parenting, surrogacy, family leave, inter-culturalism, admissions policies in schools, equality compliance in the public and private sectors, best practice in hospitality, public transport, health service provision, policing, local government, chambers of commerce, trade unions, VECs and pharmacies. Our reports and publications have been supported and partnered by the NESC, the NESF, State bodies, the CSO, the HSE, ICTU, IBEC and civil society. We have supported hundreds of companies across the country to take action on equality and to realise the benefits of equality for their business and employees. We have developed a range of equality tools suitable to very diverse sectors from mushroom picking to hospitality or financial services, and we have developed an evidence base for tracking attitudes to equality and discrimination in our society.
From a business, economic and social development viewpoint, including attracting foreign direct investment, research has established that an open, diverse, tolerant and equal society is critical to economic recovery and makes a strong business case. The comments, questions, analysis and suggestions made in the Equality Authority's submission are presented for the consideration of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. They are not necessarily exhaustive, and in due course, the Equality Authority may make further submissions to the Minister on the draft Bill when published. I will cover some of the points from our submission here, and will be happy to answer any questions on the submission from the joint committee.
Our comments cover 14 of the heads of the Bill and I will be happy to respond to any query or to clarify any matter for the committee. I am not going to detail them here but will confine myself to some general comments. We believe that the enactment of the Bill offers a useful opportunity to reflect upon the scope of the grounds addressed by the Equality Acts and we suggest that the definition of equality may benefit from a consideration as to whether new grounds of non-discrimination should be introduced. Previously we have called for the inclusion of grounds such as socio-economic status, membership of a trade union, past criminal conviction and political beliefs. We have set out a view on transgendered persons and the provision of full legal protection for them, as the protection offered currently is implicit rather than explicit.
The authority supports the formation of a strong, independent, cohesive and fully representative commission, with the full range of skill-sets required to address the work, including the diversity of the nine grounds together with equality and human rights related functions. We also recommend that the commission should have skills in the area of human resources and industrial relations. The Equality Authority especially welcomes the new human rights and equality duty of public bodies, the so called positive duty. Our submission raises some points on the Defence Forces upon which the committee may wish to reflect.
In conclusion, the Equality Authority welcomes the new opportunity offered by the merger with the Irish Human Rights Commission to enhance the activities of both. We will work constructively towards the successful delivery of the new body. We emphasise again that adequate funding of the new organisation will be key to the requirement for independence and will be essential to the success of the new body. Over the course of its existence, the Equality Authority has contributed significantly to the promotion of equality in Ireland. The contribution of the Irish Human Rights Commission in the field of human rights promotion has also been impressive. The authority earnestly hopes that the legacy of both bodies will be maintained through the endeavours of the commission, and that the work of the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission will inform and enrich the future development of the commission.
