Gormley hails Equality Authority funding review a victory

THE Green Party last night hailed as a victory the fact that funding for the Equality Authority would be the subject of a new review — when in fact the review could recommend cutting its funding.

Addressing the opening night of the Greens’ national convention in Wexford, party leader John Gormley said he had succeeded in having changes to the authority “reversed”.

The Department of Justice slashed the authority’s budget from €5.9 million in 2008 to €3.3m this year, leading to a row that saw the resignation of the authority’s chief executive, Niall Crowley. The lack of funding and decentralisation of some of its staff from Dublin to Roscrea raised concerns about the authority’s future.

But Mr Gormley said the Greens in Government had succeeded to “have those changes reversed”.

“The... further decentralisation of staff has been stopped and a further review of funding for the Equality Authority [will take place] to ensure it can do its work effectively,” he said.

Yet while the decentralisation has been halted, Mr Crowley will not be returning as chief executive. In ~addition, the funding review will be carried out by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes — otherwise known as Bord Snip, the body tasked with finding savings for the Government. A spokesman for Mr Gormley last night conceded there was a chance the review could recommend cutting funding.

“There’s a risk with everything,” he said.

Elsewhere in his speech, Mr Gormley focused on the idea of a “Green New Deal” for Ireland. “UN data tells us the global market for environmental goods and services will double over the next decade to $2.7 trillion (€2.1tn) a year. Ireland must get a significant slice of that action.”

He also said the Government would announce in the coming weeks an “action group on green enterprise” to further develop green businesses and jobs.