Ms Judy Walsh:

Okay. That is one thing but, as the DFI has pointed out and as have most of us in our submissions, it is just one part of the jigsaw. What we really need is to ensure that the mechanisms are in place to ensure that duty bearers understand. In other words, shopkeepers, the large public sector organisations and multinational corporations need to understand their obligations and what those may comprise. It is also important that individuals be equipped to get support if they feel they are being denied access to their rights. That is the really critical element here. We could technically amend the law and have a beautiful law on paper - even one that is accessible, which the current one is not - and yet have very poor implementation and compliance. Several of us are pointing out that it would be great if the committee could look at the general scheme in tandem with the directives on equality bodies, for precisely that reason. Two directives were produced by the European Union last year. There is a very brief window to transpose them into Irish law, as they have to be transposed by June of next year. These two aspects are very much integrated. The compliance bit will apply to both the WRC and its redress mechanism system and also to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. I am not sure how it works, but it would be great if the committee could reach out to ask the Government at what stage the transposition is currently. I would see the committee as having a major role in considering both of those sets of issues together.