Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

I welcome Dr. Manning. His comments on the 1922 Seanad and the potential future of the Chamber will give Senators hope. The 1922 Seanad appeared to include human rights as part of its core identity and its Members included people who embraced and promoted human rights.

The people are well briefed on human rights and have practised as well as preached them throughout the world. People from Ireland have been politically involved in the United States and other countries. John F. Kennedy reached the pinnacle of the political system in the United States and Irish people and their descendents have been involved in securing and promoting human rights in many other countries. Thousands of priests, brothers, nuns and lay people have travelled to the most deprived parts of the globe to assist the most unfortunate and disadvantaged of people to achieve decent human rights and access to food and medicines. The Irish tradition of human rights is very positive.

The Irish Human Rights Commission came into being as a result of the clear mandate from the people on the Good Friday Agreement. Its greatest achievement is its relationship with its sister body in the North. The Government of the day and the main Opposition parties deserve credit for establishing and properly funding the commission. The then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, should be commended for appointing Dr. Manning, even though he did not come from the political traditions of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats. He had the qualities needed to progress human rights in this country and in the past ten years he has made submissions and observations on more than 40 Bills as they passed through the Houses of the Oireachtas. The commission has also entered into more than 3,000 legal communications on various issues relating to human rights.

The most important work done by the commission, however, is in its advocacy on behalf of ordinary people who contact it about human rights violations. Many of its reports stem from the myriad complaints received. I note, in particular, the work it has done on behalf of intellectually disabled people in County Galway. Last May it launched a report on the involvement of religion in education which stemmed from numerous complaints by non-believers who felt badly treated by the education system. Its assessment of the Magdalene laundries played an integral part in the ensuing investigations. However, while it has achieved a lot, there is much more to be done.

I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Manning that the language of human rights can sometimes sound elitist. Human rights should be all-embracing and the language used should be simple and easy to understand. A person who is homeless outside the gates of Leinster House should understand his or her human rights as clearly as a freshman in Trinity College or a debater in the Literary and Historical Society in UCD. Human rights should transcend all genders and circumstances. As a society, we have a responsibility in this respect. It cannot all be done by the Government; we must change attitudes. I hope the constitutional convention which is imminent will lead a national conversation on human rights and attitudes in society. A serious difficulty in this country is presented by the "not in my back yard" attitude. We must realise that respecting human rights is not easy and that sometimes it means one must make difficult decisions. I recall when the Irish Human Rights Commission issued a report on rendition flights landing at Shannon Airport. It was not easy to do at the time but it was the right thing to do, as the evidence has shown.

I wish to make a few brief points. The Equality Authority is being merged with the Irish Human Rights Commission. That synergy will be to the common good and the good of the country. It will drive the agenda of equality and human rights. Having one organisation operating on behalf of all those dealing with issues of equality and human rights is probably the way to proceed.

The Irish Human Rights Commission has achieved serious recognition abroad. It is highly regarded in the European Union and at the United Nations. The foundations have been laid and an exceptionally impressive organisation will emerge.

Dr. Manning always practised the concept of equality and is the right person to drive forward this project. I sat before him for three years when he was an academics lecturer in UCD and he does not just pay lip service to the concept, he practises it. He practised it long before he became president of the Irish Human Rights Commission. I say this from experience.