Commission Publishes its Legal Submissions on Unregulated Area of Irish Law 29 June 2022 – The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (the ‘Commission’) has appeared before the Supreme Court as amicus curiae (‘friend of the court’) in a significant case relating to surrogacy, citizenship and children’s rights. In its legal arguments to the Supreme Court published…
Garda Commissioner and Minister Appeal WRC Ruling Against Gardaí in Age Discrimination Case The Minister for Justice and Equality and the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána are appealing a 2020 ruling by the Workplace Relations Commission (“WRC”) that two men, Ronald Boyle and Brian Fitzpatrick, were discriminated against by An Garda Síochána when rejected for…
The first National Anti-Trafficking Report of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) as Ireland’s National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking was published today, at a high-level event which saw Europe’s leading anti-trafficking figures from the EU, OSCE and Council of Europe speaking about the State’s anti-Trafficking response. The recent mass displacement of people…
Children granted individual hours after IHREC intervention 17 June 2022 The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) recently gave legal assistance to a mother and her two young sons in making an application to the Department of Education for the 2022 Home-Based Summer Programme to Support the Education or Care Needs of Students…
Commission to Appear as Amicus Curiae in Case Where Minister Refused to Vary Canadian Woman’s Visa 15 June 2022 – The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) has been granted liberty by the Supreme Court to exercise its amicus curiae (‘friend of the court’) function in an important case focused on private and…
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) has called for the State to ensure that Garda powers are exercised in a consistent and unbiased way, including the defining and prohibition of racial profiling by An Garda Síochána. In its report to the UN Human Rights Committee, which will be examining Ireland’s obligations under…
Citizenship is a matter of “profound significance” says Court The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) has described today’s Supreme Court ruling in the case of UM v Minister for Foreign Affairs, which concerned the proper application of the power to revoke refugee status and its interaction with citizenship rights, as “a significant…
An Garda Síochána must provide disaggregated data on policing activity Members of An Garda Síochána should be expressly required to record the racial and ethnic origin of a person during a stop and search, and stronger wording should be included in the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill to prohibit racial profiling, accompanied by detailed guidelines that…
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has today responded with immediate concern about plans announced by the Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, to accommodate children with autism and other disabilities in the Dublin area in “Special Educational Needs” centres from September. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is Ireland’s independent…
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) has called for significant review and reform Irish mental health policy and law, including specifically our law relating to children. In its recommendations published today on the General Scheme of the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill made to the Oireachtas Joint Sub-Committee on Mental Health, the Commission notes that…