Katherine Zappone (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the members of the selection panel and I am most appreciative that all of them have come before the joint committee. I concur with many of the comments made by Deputy Mac Lochlainn. We are all trying to get this right and the panel is before us because its members are also trying to get it right. I appreciate the commitment they and the Minister have shown and the leadership the Chairman has provided as we look for new ways to deepen the engagement of Parliament and, in this context, the committee with the establishment and operations of the new commission.

Most members of the selection panel will be aware that I was a member of the Irish Human Rights Commission and experienced some of the difficulties that occurred in its early days. We are all trying to avoid a repeat of that.

The witnesses provided an effective presentation of their experience and credentials. I am most impressed with their expertise and all that they bring to this role, both as a group and individually. They may have noticed that one of the first recommendations the joint committee made to the Minister was to achieve gender balance when appointing the selection panel. I am particularly appreciative that this has been achieved.

I hold the members of the panel in high regard, having worked with many of them previously. They bring expertise in law, academia, research, policy and management expertise and have front-line experience. They have also demonstrated independence in much of their work, have engaged with members of the public and have acquired experience at European and United Nations level. The panel contains a lovely mixture of experience on the equality and human rights sides. In light of what they bring individually and as a group and as the choice of the Minister, the panel has a terrific mix and I strongly believe it will do its utmost to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

Given the different language used in this regard, I am not sure whether the role of the joint committee is to satisfy itself that the appointment of the selection panel was transparent and its members will act independently, or approve its appointment. The briefing provided to members suggests we will exercise oversight of the ongoing appointment process to ensure transparency and independence. The Ombudsman indicated that our role is one of approving the panel. Perhaps our role is to engage in an exchange and confirm and note our own sense of what the panel presents and how effective it can be. The witnesses are free to comment in this regard.

As we move forward, I understand that an interim arrangement is to apply to the selection and appointment of commissioners, with some of them to be appointed to the Irish Human Rights Commission while others are to be appointed to the Equality Authority. How will this process work? Does the panel envisage having ongoing communications with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights?

What are the panel's thoughts on the criteria for selecting commissioners? While the selection process has not yet commenced, do members of the panel have any thoughts they wish to share on how the public could be involved in the process?