Equality Authority: Second board member resigns

BUDGET cuts were given as the reason for the resignation of the first Equality Authority board member to quit since the resignation of its chief executive last week.

Thérèse Murphy in aletter to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said that “needless drastic measures imposed on staff resources” in addition to the budget cuts, was the primary reason for her decision to resign.

Ms Murphy is deputy-chairwoman of the National Women’s Council of Ireland and is vice-president of the European Women’s Lobby.

She said work changes “were not only unfair in proportion to other Government agencies, but will impact on the organisation so profoundly that it will be severely hampered in fulfilling its mandate.”

While recognising the financial difficulties being experienced by Government, she said that “this should be balanced by the truth that, in times of economic constraint, those on the margins of society suffer most.”

Ms Murphy said that people “could not and must not be forced to wait for an improvement in government finances to access their rights and to have their voices heard.”

Last week, chief executive Niall Crowley resigned and criticised the Government for killing off the State-sponsored body.

In his letter of resignation, he accused the justice minister of sounding the death knell for the State-sponsored body with a 43% cut in funding.

In the letter, Mr Crowley said the final straw was Mr Ahern’s rejection of the board’s “very limited proposals for viability.”

These included a hold on the minister’s staff decentralisation programme and a reduced 32% funding cut to allow the authority operate at the most minimal level.

He also accused the Government of victimising the authority because of its support for people, alleging discrimination, particularly in the public service.