Written answers

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

Department of Justice and Equality

Human Rights Issues

Photo of Derek NolanDerek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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378. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department is developing a national action plan for human rights further to the Vienna declaration; if she will provide details and a timeframe for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33167/15]

Photo of Aodhán Ó RíordáinAodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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Our human rights and equality infrastructure has been strengthened by the establishment in November 2014 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. A significant innovation in the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 was the introduction of a positive duty on public bodies to have due regard to human rights and equality in their work and conduct their business in a manner that is consistent with individual human rights. The Commission will assist public bodies to comply with the positive duty, including by producing guidelines and codes of practice. This means the systematic integration of an equality and human right perspective into everyday work, including changes to organisational cultures so that such a perspective is an integral part of the organisation. This innovation puts the promotion and protection of human rights at the heart of our domestic and foreign policies, and as the Deputy is aware, our Constitution places strong emphasis on fundamental rights and predates both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

We have in place a range of human rights action plans or strategies targeted at specific groups. We have sectoral strategies in place to safeguard, promote and further the rights of groups or sectors within society, such as people with disabilities, Travellers and Roma, older people, migrants, and carers, for example. We also have strategies in place to promote gender equality, tackle domestic and sexual-based violence, and promote social inclusion. As human rights and equality issues cross the whole of Government, the Cabinet Committee system plays an important role in ensuring coordination and a holistic approach on relevant issues. Our current system of focusing our energies on specific sectoral approaches allows us to respond with agility to suggestions emerging from our ongoing working relationship and consultations with civil society; a good example of this would be the proposals for an LGBTI strategy or roadmap which I announced in recent days.

I am open to the idea of a developing a National Action Plan on Human Rights, if it were clear that a such general, overarching plan would bring added value to the considerable work already being undertaken. However, I do remain to be convinced that such a National Plan would be the best way forward in terms of making the best use of the resources available to me and the most practical and effective way of partnering with specific civil society sectoral interests. However, I am happy to keep the question under review and to promote continued discussion on this suggestion with IHREC, civil society and other stakeholders.

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