Manning to serve second term in human rights role

Dr Maurice Manning has been appointed by the Government for a second five-year term as president of the Irish Human Rights Commission.

An academic by background, Dr Manning was a member of the Oireachtas for 21 years and served in the Dáil and the Seanad, where he was leader of the House during the period of the rainbow government.

Announcing the appointment yesterday, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Brian Lenihan said Dr Manning had served with distinction as president of the commission over the past five years.

"He has been responsible for the steady development of the commission from its formative stage to where it is now, in a position to take on the full range of its statutory responsibilities under the Human Rights Commission Acts 2000 and 2001. I have every confidence that Dr Manning will build on the good work undertaken by the commission under his stewardship during his first term of office and that he will continue to provide effective leadership and guidance to the new commission which was appointed last August," said Mr Lenihan.

He added that during Dr Manning's first term of office, the commission had established its reputation internationally and was highly regarded by the Council of Europe, the pre-eminent body in the area of human rights in Europe, and by the International Co-ordinating Committee of National Institutions with which it has an "A" accreditation classification.

The commission was elected in 2006 to hold the presidency of the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions.

The commission was established under the Human Rights Commission Acts 2000 and 2001, in line with a commitment in the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

The commission has 15 members appointed by the Government for a five-year term.