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Duty Assessment: Tools and Data Sources

Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty Assessment Tools

Sources of External Evidence[1]

Equality Data Guidance

Guidelines on Improving the Collection and Use of Equality Data, Equality Sub-Group, High Level Group on Non-Discrimination, Equality and Diversity, European Commission, DG Justice and Consumers, Brussels, 2018.

National Policy Framework

There are a range of national policies that directly address equality and human rights issues, some of which are aimed at specific groups. The strategies include background data and analysis to support the strategy which, along with the actions identified, indicate issues identified by government departments in the development of the strategy. These strategies are, therefore, a valuable and accessible source of information on pertinent equality and human rights issues across the identified groups:

  1. The Migrant Integration Strategy: A Blueprint for the Future
    Department of Justice and Equality
  2. The National Disability Strategy Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021
    Department of Justice and Equality
  3. Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024.
    Department of Justice and Equality
  4. The National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020: Creating a better society for all.
    Department of Justice and Equality
  5. The National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021.
    Department of Justice and Equality
  6. The LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy 2018-2020: Visible, valued, and included.
    Department of Children and Youth Affairs
  7. National LGBTI Inclusion Strategy 2019-2021.
    Department of Justice and Equality
  8. Positive Ageing Starts Now: The National Positive Ageing Strategy
    Department of Health
  9. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children & Young People 2014-2020.
    Department of Children and Youth Affairs
  10. National Youth Strategy 2015-2020
    Department of Children and Youth Affairs
  11. Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020 – 2025
    Department of Employment Assistance and Social Protection.

Central Statistics Office Data Publications

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) through the census data and other national surveys, publishes a significant range of equality and human rights relevant data. This is often presented in graphic form providing easy to access evidence. Surveys and reports of particular relevance to the identified groups include:

  1. Equality and Discrimination, Quarter 1 2019.
  2. Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2018.
  3. Open Data website with Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS), Central Statistics Office and Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), 2016.
  4. Women and Men in Ireland, 2016.
  5. Census of Population 2016 – Profile 8: Irish Travellers, Ethnicity, and Religion.
  6. Census of Population 2016 – Profile 9: Health, Disability, and Carers.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and ESRI Research Publications[2]

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has published a wide range of research reports and journal articles of relevance to equality and human rights that provide an evidence base for the identification of equality and human rights issues. In particular they have published the following as part of the Research Programme on Human Rights and Equality it is implementing with the Commission:

  1. Caring and Unpaid Work in Ireland
    Helen Russell, Raffaele Grotti, Frances McGinnity and Ivan Privalko, July 2019.
  2. Ethnicity and Nationality in the Irish Labour Market
    Frances McGinnity, Raffaele Grotti, Sarah Groarke & Sarah Coughlan, ESRI and IHREC December 2018.
  3. Disability and Discrimination in Ireland: Evidence from the QNHS Equality Modules 2004, 2010, 2014
    Joanne Banks, Raffaele Grotti, Éamonn Fahey and Dorothy Watson, ESRI and IHREC, October 2018.
  4. Discrimination and Inequality in Housing in Ireland,
    Raffaele Grotti, Helen Russell, Éamonn Fahey, Bertrand Maître, June 2018.
  5. Attitudes to Diversity in Ireland,
    Frances McGinnity, Raffaele Grotti, Helen Russell and Éamonn Fahey, March 2018.
  6. Who experiences discrimination in Ireland? Evidence from the QNHS Equality Modules,
    Frances McGinnity, Raffaele Grotti, Oona Kenny and Helen Russell, November 2017.

International Human Rights

Ireland is a party to a range of international human rights treaties. These are monitored by the relevant European or United Nations committees on the basis of reports provided by the Irish government. Shadow reports are also prepared as part of this process by civil society and by the Commission. The committees, on foot of their assessment, publish conclusions and make recommendations.

For example the Concluding Observations of the various UN Committees provide a valuable and accessible source of information on human rights and equality issues pertaining in Ireland[3]. They identify positive aspects in relation to the particular convention, raise concerns, and make recommendations, examples are given below. For the most up-to-date concluding observations for Ireland please click here to visit the UN website here.

  1. Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, requiring periodic reporting. Concluding observations: Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Concluding observations on the third periodic report of Ireland, E/C.12/IRL/CO/3, United Nations, 8 July 2015.
  2. Convention on Civil and Political Rights, requiring periodic reporting. Concluding observations: Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the fourth periodic report of Ireland, CCPR/C/IRL/CO/4, United Nations, 19 August 2014.
  3. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, requiring periodic reporting. Concluding observations: Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Concluding observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of Ireland, CEDAW/C/IRL/CO/6-7, United Nations, 9 March 2017.
  4. Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, requiring periodic reporting. Concluding observations: Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, CERD/C/IRL/CO/5-9 , United Nations, 23 January 2020.
  5. Convention on the Rights of the Child, requiring periodic reporting. Concluding observations: Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding observations on the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Ireland, CRC/C/IRL/CO/3-4, United Nations, 1 March 2016.
  6. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, requiring periodic reporting. Concluding observations: Committee against Torture, Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Ireland, CAT/C/IRL/CO/2, United Nations, 31 August 2017.
  7. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, requiring periodic reporting.

The Commission has developed a series of Shadow Reports to accompany and inform the monitoring process that are rich sources of evidence for the assessment of equality and human rights issues. The Commission has also submitted to treaty monitoring bodies in Europe –please refer to international reporting section on our website here.

  1. Comments on Ireland’s 17th National Report on the Implementation of the European Social Charter, June 2020
  2. Submission to the UN Committee against Torture on the List of Issues for the Third Examination of Ireland, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, January 2020.
  3. Ireland and the Convention on Racial Discrimination, Submission to the United Nations Committee on Racial Discrimination on Ireland’s Combined Fifth to Ninth Periodic Report, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, October 2019.
  4. Comments on Ireland’s 16th National Report on the implementation of the European Social Charter, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, May 2019
  5. Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council: Second Cycle Mid-Term Review, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, April 2019
  6. Ireland and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, Submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on Ireland’s Combined Sixth and Seventh Periodic Reports, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, January 2017.
  7. Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Report, Ireland and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, May 2015.
  8. Ireland and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, report by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on Ireland’s Combined Third and Fourth Periodic Reports, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, December 2015.
  9. Irish Human Rights Commission Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee on the Examination of Ireland’s Fourth Periodic Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Irish Human Rights Commission and Equality Authority, June 2014.

[1] Views expressed in external links are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

[2] These reports were prepared for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission by the Economic and Social Research Institute as part of the Research Programme on Human Rights and Equality.

[3] A repository of concluding observations by UN treaty monitoring bodies, and specifically concluding observations on Ireland, is available on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights www.ohchr.org and can be accessed:  HERE

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