The Irish HumaN Rights Commission (IHRC), today, called on Parliamentarians in Britain and Ireland to ensure that the commitment made in the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement to create Human Rights Commissions in Ireland and Northern Ireland was upheld through the guarantee of sufficient resources for both Commissions and through closer engagement between the Oireachtas and the IHRC.
Speaking at the 39th Plenary Conference of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, Dr Maurice Manning, President of the IHRC said, "This is an important opportunity for both Commissions to highlight the significant impact of our work in our own jurisdictions, throughout the island of Ireland and internationally. The commitment to respect and protect human rights and equality of opportunity forms a core element of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement and through our work, the IHRC and the NIHRC help to make this commitment a reality. Parliamentarians have a key role in relation to the work of the two Commissions and in upholding the commitment given in the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement through ensuring that both Commissions are provided with adequate funding to carry out their work."
Dr Manning continued, "international best practice shows that there should be strong links between Parliaments and national human rights institutions such as the IHRC. The IHRC is at present administratively linked to a Government Department rather than to the Oireachtas. Linking the IHRC to the Oireachtas would not only be in keeping with international best practice, but would also acknowledge that human rights impact on all areas of law, policy and practice in Ireland and not merely issues within the justice sector. Furthermore, it would honour the recommendation of the UN Human Rights Committee, which called for the IHRC’s independence and capacity to be further enhanced by "endowing it with adequate and sufficient resources and linking it to the Oireachtas."
The IHRC considers that strong parliamentary oversight of legislation, policy and practice is critical to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights. Dr Manning stated, "Parliamentarians have a vital role in the scrutiny of legislation, policy and practice. The establishment of a Joint Committee in the Oireachtas with a similar remit to the UK Joint Parliamentary Human Rights Committee to scrutinise all government Bills and government action on judgements of the domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights would strengthen Ireland’s strong commitment to human rights."
ENDS/
For further information, please contact:
Fidelma Joyce
IHRC
Tel: 01 8589601, Mob: 087 783 4939