The new Human Rights and Equality Commission should be directly answerable to the Oireachtas, following an appointments process that is credible, open, transparent and independent, according to the Irish Human Rights Commission.
The proposals come in a submission from the IHRC to the working group set up by the Minister for Justice to consider the constitution of the new body, which will replace the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority.
The proposed merger should involve consultation with key stakeholders, including civil society and the staff of the existing bodies, it says,
The new commission should be led by a senior management team involving a CEO at the level and pay of a Government assistant secretary general, and divisional heads at principal officer level, it states.
It should be able to recruit its own staff and where it had staff seconded from Government departments, these should not be dealing with policy of case load issues. The number of such secondees should never be more than 50 per cent and preferably less than 25 per cent.
Senior staff, including the CEO, should be independently recruited by the new board, it says. It should have administrative independence, maintaining its current IT, payroll and office management operations. Any linkage with any Government party should be administrative only.
Before any final decisions are taken on functions and powers, it suggests that a full review of the powers and functions of both bodies be undertaken.
It should have a substantial budget independent of premises, salary and administrative costs, to permit substantive human rights and equality work. Ideally it should have security of tenure in an OPW building in Dublin with no rent, that is easily accessible to the public, and it should carry over no legacy debts from the IHRC of the Equality Authority.