Gardaí 'still not human rights compliant'

An Garda Síochána has again been criticised for not complying with human rights legislation.

An Garda Síochána has again been criticised for not complying with human rights legislation.

The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) used the announcement of its annual report today to highlight its concern about Garda practices.

The IHRC said although new levels of transparency within Garda Síochána were welcome, the organisation was "still some distance from it being fully human-rights compliant".

But Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy said today changes were "ongoing" within the organisation. "Major improvements are taking place at the moment to ensure we are fully compliant with human rights [legislation]."

READ MORE

A report is due out later this year is expected to highlight specific human rights concerns following a raft of criticism about the organisation's practices.

The IHRC also said it was concerned about Ireland's immigration policy, saying it "had not been coherent in its objectives".

IHRC president Dr Maurice Manning said Irish law still had some way to go to bring administrative practice into compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families.

Mr Manning said in particular the trafficking of human beings for sex or labour exploitation was of growing concern, with action needed to protect potential victims.

Minister of Justice, Equality & Law Reform Brian Lenihan said new legislation on the issue would be introduced this year but that he was "satisfied we do not have a problem in this area".

Mr Lenihan also responded to criticism from the IHRC that legislation did not come under sufficient scrutiny before being passed. He said a lot of Opposition parties "wasted time" in the Dáil and made "endless unnecessary" amendments.