FINE GAEL has tabled a motion to force a Dáil debate in the new year on cuts to the Equality Authority's and Human Rights Commission's budgets.
"Equality and human rights are fundamental to Irish democracy and cannot be downgraded to the bottom of the Justice Minister's list of priorities," the party's justice spokesman, Charlie Flanagan, said.
"Fine Gael believes in value for money but we are not willing to stand by and watch Dermot Ahern hide behind an alleged interest in fiscal prudence while he dismantles the human rights and equality infrastructure of the State.
"This will be the net effect of cutting the Equality Authority's funding by 43 per cent and the Irish Human Rights Commission's funding by 24 per cent.
"The loss of experienced and expert staff prompted by a decision to decentralise the Equality Authority to Roscrea further undermines the organisation," Mr Flanagan said.
"The debate in the New Year will allow Green Party TDs to show how strong their commitment to human rights and equality really is - they will have the opportunity to vote for or against Dermot Ahern's cuts.
"There are numerous examples of 'jobs for the boys' in the justice department including the posts of assistant film classifiers and appointments to prison visiting committees - yet the Minister has shown he has no appetite for giving up his role as patron to the 'yes men' he puts on these boards but would rather attack soft touches such as the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission," Mr Flanagan said.
The Fine Gael motion will ask the Dáil to deplore the 43 per cent cut to the budget of the Equality Authority; the decision to decentralise it which has resulted in the loss of experienced and expert staff; "the treatment of the Equality Authority by the Government which ultimately resulted in the resignation of its chief executive and a board member"; the "unprecedented cut" of 24 per cent to the budget of the Irish Human Rights Commission which "will severely limit its capacity to carry out its core functions"; the weakening of the Irish Human Rights Commission despite its importance in the context of the Belfast Agreement; and the disproportionate budget cuts to human rights and equality bodies despite the myriad of agencies under the remit of the Department of Justice.
The motion calls on the Government to engage bilaterally with both bodies to ascertain their resource needs and provide the necessary funding to carry out their remits.