Justice Committee to meet selection panel for Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

The panel will select members for the new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission which will replace the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission.

Committee Chairman David Stanton, TD, said: “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.

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 that member of the Panel should be excluded from being a member of the Commission.

We are looking forward meeting with the panel members tomorrow. It will allow the Committee discuss the method by which the selection panel will approach its task of selecting members for the new Commission.”

This meeting will start in Committee Room 3, Leinster House at 4pm on Tuesday, 25th September.

Committee proceedings can be followed live at:
http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/livewebcast/Web-Live.htm&CatID=83&m=o

For further information please contact:

Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551

Committee Membership

Deputies:

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

Senators:

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