HL Deb 07 September 2004 vol 664 c101WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What the term "reflective of the community in Northern Ireland" (as used in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004) means; whether the term is the same as representative of the community in Northern Ireland; and how and in what way the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was representative of the community in Northern Ireland. [HL3134]

Baroness Amos

There is no statutory definition of "representative" or "reflective". The Secretary of State has a duty under Section 68(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to, as far as practicable, secure that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commissioners, as a group, are representative of the community in Northern Ireland.

The Government are satisfied that in making broadly-based appointments to the commission, they have fulfilled their duty under Section 68(3).