Bodies voted into being by the Oireachtas face endless frustration in getting the resources to do what they have been asked to do, according to the president of the Human Rights Commission.
Dr Maurice Manning was speaking at a conference of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association in Dublin yesterday.
Dr Manning said that one of the key experiences of the Human Rights Commission, especially in its early years, arose from its dealings with the Department of Finance, which was charged with providing the resources for the commission to carry out its mandate from parliament. This was "more difficult and more frustrating than it needed to be. It would be helpful if the Department of Finance looked at its modus operandi," he said. "There is a better way of doing things."
Another lesson from the early years of the commission was the need for focus and establishing priorities, he said. It was necessary to avoid needless competition and duplication with other agencies. It was important to bear this in mind and keep in touch with other agencies.
Nuala O'Loan, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, said that 25,000 allegations against the police had been received since her office was set up more than five years ago. Five thousand of these were in the last 12 months. They included allegations of collusion with loyalists, deaths in custody and fatalities due to dangerous driving.