A REVIEW of the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission after budget cuts has claimed the independence of both has been breached.
It criticises what it describes as a “behind closed doors” system of selection and appointment to the boards, and the “lack of financial insulation of budget from the caprice of Government Ministers”.
Downgrading Equality and Human Rights: Assessing the Impactwas commissioned by the Equality and Rights Alliance, a coalition of equality and human rights bodies and activists, and carried out by researchers Brian Harvey and Dr Kathy Walsh.
Equality and Rights Alliance chairwoman Joanna McMinn said the research confirmed that “motives to cut the budgets of these two bodies last autumn really lie in political choices to reconfigure institutions of the State to reduce the values of equality, rights and solidarity”.
The review says budget cuts imposed in 2008 have had a “significant” impact on the work of the Human Rights Commission and an “unquantifiable” impact on the work of the Equality Authority.
It says Ireland does not meet the standards of the UN Paris Principles, the recommendations of the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance and the EU’s race directive.
