§ Lord Kilclooneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Irish Government have established a Human Rights Commission equivalent to that within Northern Ireland, as required under the Belfast Agreement; and, if so, whether its membership includes representation from the ethnic and Protestant minorities; how often this commission meets; and what reports it has published. [HL6339]
§ Lord Williams of Mostyn:The Irish Government established a Human Rights Commission on 25 July 2001 in accordance with the terms of the Human Rights Commission Acts 2000 and 2001, but it is currently not in full operation. The commission has a mandate and remit broadly similar to that of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in Belfast, although there are some differences, notably with regard to the means by which it can conduct public or private enquiries.
The commission meets at least once per month and meetings of the joint committee of representatives of the two commissions (North and South) established under the Good Friday Agreement are held every three months.
Membership of the commission is not based on religious background, but rather is representative of Irish society as a whole and includes persons from the ethnic minorities. To date the commission has published two reports.