IHRC warns of budget cut risks

The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has warned it may not be able to carry out its statutory functions following cuts to its budget.

The organisation also urged the Government to allow more debate on the proposed Criminal Justice Bill, saying "many serious flaws" had been identified, and called for reform of legislation relating to the rights of transgender people.

Speaking at the launch of  its annual report, commission president Dr Maurice Manning said the body was finding it difficult to cope with the loss of funding.

"The fallout from this economic recession is having the greatest impact on people in vulnerable situations who often need the most protection. It is more important than ever to have a strong, effective and independent Human Rights Commission," he said.

"However the IHRC has found it difficult to cope with what amounted to a 32 per cent cut in its budget this year. As a consequence, there is a serious risk that the IHRC will be unable to perform its statutory functions."

The commission called for the Government to help out with rent costs to allow it to keep functioning.

"The IHRC had a third less financial resources available to it in 2009 than last year. It goes without saying that any further cuts would put our continued survival in jeopardy," said IHRC chief executive, Éamonn Mac Aodha.

"In addition we need the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to assist us in discharging the burden of our lease costs if we are to come through this year. The grant-in-aid provision for 2009 has left us under severe pressure in this regard and will not allow us to both discharge staff costs and to pay our rent."

In its annual report for 2008,  the commission welcomed the trend towards an increase in referrals at an earlier stage in the process, meaning it could make comments in a more "timely and effective way". The body reviewed for compliance with human rights standards eight Bills relating to charities, immigration residence and protection, employment law compliance, health information, mental capacity, the mentally ill in the criminal justice system, and public order offences linked to begging.

"While the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform continued to make legislative referrals, there were increased referrals from other departments such as the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment," the IHRC said.

Dr Manning said it was equally important to allow adequate time for debate by the Houses of Oireachtas on Bills at the various stages of the enactment process.

"Insufficient time for such debate and analysis can lead to the enactment of legislation that is not fully human rights compliant, leading to challenges in the courts down the line," he said. "This should be avoided at all costs."

The organisation also made submissions on human rights standards in a number of court proceedings, including representing the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) before the European Court of Human Rights.