Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Under the original head of Bill proposed by the Minister of State's Department, a nominee from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission was included in the membership layout. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission understood that having it as the nomination body for one of the lay positions was a guaranteed in-build of human rights and equality expertise within the layout of commission membership. This was welcomed, but was removed in the draft Bill while the legislation as it stands states that human rights and equality should be protected in the process. It was important to be proactive and have human rights and equality expertise guaranteed in the lay membership rather than one of four broad selection criteria. From our point of view, it is important to have the voice of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. How can we say we want to protect human rights and equality while not including it in the nominee process?