Cost-cutting plan puts human rights bodies in jeopardy

GOVERNMENT-funded human rights bodies are in a fight for survival following a warning that they will be merged, downsized or disbanded to save money.

The Department of Justice has been told by the Department of Finance that it should consider amalgamating at least five of the organisations for which it has responsibility.

The five are the National Disability Authority, the Equality Authority, the Equality Tribunal, the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

They have been given until September 12 to plead their case individually but, with all departments under orders to report back to the Department of Finance with their cost-cutting plans just three days later, it is likely the fate of the targeted agencies will be decided in principle sooner than that.

Between them the organisations employ about 150 staff, plus part-time board members and commissioners, and cost about €17 million per year to run.

The Data Protection Commissioner’s office is the oldest, established in 1989, and the IHRC is the newest, beginning work in 2001, while the others are soon to mark 10 years in existence.

Eamon MacAodha, chief executive of the IHRC, said the proposed cuts must not be allowed to undermine human rights protection in Ireland.

“We hope that the views of the commission will be listened to,” he said.

“We have an open mind about the merger but we can’t see that any substantial savings would be made from it.”

All five agencies are established by law so any significant change in their status would require legal amendments. The IHRC has the added protection of being enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement so it is not clear how it could be tampered with without involving Britain.

Speaking about the proposed mergers, Defence Minister Willie O’Dea would not go into specifics but said: “The Government have no intention whatsoever of doing anything that’s illegal.”

Mr O’Dea defended the overall proposal, however, which involves a review of all state agencies as part of a plan to cut €440m in public spending this year and €1 billion next year.

The Department of Justice refused to comment.