Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 357: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the Government has considered amending the Human Rights Commission Act 2000, which would make the Commission directly accountable to the Houses of the Oireachtas rather than to a Department of State as at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34827/05]

Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 376: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has reviewed the Irish Human Rights Commission annual report for 2004; the implications of the IHRC request that the commission is made accountable to the Houses of the Oireachtas; his strategy for dealing with the request; if substantial legislative changes are required for the change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34978/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 357 and 376 together.

The question of the Irish Human Rights Commission being made accountable to the Houses of the Oireachtas was one of a number of recommendations made by the commission in its report on effectiveness submitted to the Government under section 24 of the Human Rights Commission Acts 2000 and 2001. The Commission also referred to the matter in its annual report for 2003 presented to me in accordance with section 23 of the Act and it has been discussed with me by the president of the commission, Dr. Maurice Manning.

My formal responses on behalf of the Government to the various commission's recommendations, including this one, were laid before the Houses on 20 October 2004. The president of the commission mentioned the point again in his foreword to the annual report for 2004, published on 5 October 2005 when, after acknowledging the growing relationship with Oireachtas committees, he stated: "It is the long term objective of the commission that it be accountable directly to the Oireachtas rather than to a Government Department as at present and that it will be working to achieve this over the coming years".

As is clear from the papers laid before the Oireachtas, the commission is aware that as far as I am concerned, it is free to explore the issue further with a view to developing concrete proposals for my consideration.