Human rights chief Emily Logan disappointed at John Halligan response

The country’s human rights chief has expressed disappointment that Skills Minister John Halligan tried to defend his discriminatory questioning of a prospective employee rather than simply accept that he was wrong.

Emily Logan, chief commissioner at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), also said the HR official present while the interview took place should have stepped in to protect the candidate from Mr Halligan’s questions.

Ms Logan noted that in the report published by the Workplace Relations Commission on the case, Mr Halligan’s side sought to explain that the minister was trying to get to know the candidate when he probed her about her family life and commitments and that he offered flexible working arrangements for staff who had commitments outside of work.