Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will report on the progress of the creation of the new Irish Human Rights Equality Commission. [54455/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I published the General Scheme of a Bill to replace the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission with a new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on the 5th June, 2012.

The independent Selection Panel set up to select new members of the Commission has commenced work on the selection process and last month invited applications from members of the public with a deadline for expressions of interest of the 29 November. I hope that the remaining stages of the selection process will be completed shortly. Once the Selection Panel have made a decision and communicated that decision to the Government, the intention is that the successful applicants will meet the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. I also intend that the successful applicants will be appointed to the two existing bodies, pending enactment of the necessary legislation to effect the merger. This will ensure that the two organisations can start to operate as a cohesive whole, with a transition programme being prepared and put in place, that the board(s) can commence preparing a Strategic Plan for the new body and that work can be taken forward rapidly on the staffing review envisaged in the Working Group Report.