Katherine Zappone (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor Mullally for her opening statement. I welcome all the members designate and congratulate them. It is fantastic to be this far down the road and to have people of such extraordinary standing in the fields of human rights and equality through their practical experience, theoretical developments and leadership involved. It is great to have them here.

I have a number of questions, which I will put individually, as is the custom for this committee, and they are for reply by any of the 14 members designate who wish to take them up. The first is a bigger picture question and I ask it because I am interested in the commission's view on the heads of the Bill that is on the way. This issue has not been clarified as much I would like in the legislation. What is the purpose of the IHREC? I am not convinced its role is clearly defined in the legislation. I do not know whether it is a case handling body, a policy proposer, a legislative oversight mechanism, an education provider or all of the above. Is there another way to define its role?