§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they requested an internal review of the effectiveness and organisational structure of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and whether they consider that the current review of the commission carried out by the commission itself can be independent; and [HL1766]
Which groups the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is consulting with respect to its internal review; how those groups have been selected; whether they consider that six days' notice for such consultation is adequate; and whether they think that it would be appropriate for Members of Parliament and Peers to be consulted. [HL1767]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn)Section 69(2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to make recommendations to the Secretary of State on ways in which its effectiveness could be improved. There was no requirement for these recommendations to be based on an independent review. The Government intend to publish their draft response for consultation early next year and at that stage will be keen to hear the views of, among others, Members of Parliament and Peers on what is proposed.
Separately from this, the commission applied, as part of its recent in-year bid for an increase in funding, for support for an independent evaluation of, among other things, its internal organisational structure. The Government welcomed this and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland agreed to make funding available subject to certain conditions, including that the proposed review be split into three strands (covering the commission's strategic planning, its internal organisation structure and its communications strategy), to enable each element to be analysed by experts in the relevant field.
125WAWhether to accept this and the way in which the reviewer conducts the evaluation, including its timescale, is a matter for the commission and the reviewer concerned. The chief commissioner has been asked to reply direct to the noble Lord on this point. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.