In the forward to the Annual Report launched yesterday she says

that a campaign of misinformation commenced while the Authority was working to reorganise to ensure no diminution of service to the public. This campaign purported to show that the Authority was either no longer in operation or that it was no longer operating effectively.

Wonder if you asked the staff or stakeholders (and not just the favourites) or people who are discriminated against what they thought about what would they say about the ability of the Authority to support people is following the cuts?

In light of this, over the course of the year the Authority was extremely concerned that any vulnerable individual who needed support might have been led to the erroneous belief that the Equality Authority was no longer in a position to assist them. The Authority worked with stakeholders to try to minimise the numbers of vulnerable people who may, because of this misinformation, be affected by this.

The budget of the authority was cut by 43% – this was widely reported but the Annual Report does not report the accounts of the authority for 2009 or compare to previous years. The report shows the impact of the cuts in the very small numbers of information stands that were held, and the types of organisations that were consulted with. The notion of what constituted a case is also something that caused much confusion and the authority are still sorting it out. I encourage you to read the report.

On page 63

The Equality Authority had one meeting with the Community and Voluntary Sector. It is anticipated that these meetings will be re-instated in 2010.

Blaming those campaigning (including 140 NGO’s, and a few Statutory international bodies ) for properly funded, independent, mandated institutions for creating an impression that the body can’t function when well we all know that it’s hands are tied and it can’t properly educate people on it’s work and promote itself effectively and it is very limited in it’s research agenda. Me thinks that doth protesting too much going on if you know what I mean.

PS: There is a great campaign giving an opportunity to everyone to state their opinion on the importance of policy on equality and human rights and their importance at It’s About You.

Meanwhile I’m holding onto the table to stop the dizziness.

Yesterday evening a ministerial press release landed in my inbox – I didn’t know about the launch of a political pamphlet by Niall Crowley for the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland but it obviously got up the nose of  Minister of State for the National Drugs Strategy, Community Affairs & Integration John Curran.

So a press release was duly drawn up (no coincidence that there is a reshuffle next week) but it’s so poor and indeed draws more attention to the pamphlet – which is not a research report but is a political opinion on the actions of the government and what they really say about attitudes to minorities and migrants in Irish society. The release is below in it’s entirety as it was sent to the press list.

I laughed when I saw the paragraph in the release on the Equality Authority – it’s work continues? Ah yes split over two offices still, with less staff and a slashed budget and a muzzled board. And it’s widely agreed that the cuts nearly two years ago now to the Equality Authority and Human Rights Commission’s budgets have had nothing to do with the recession. Indeed it’s expected that the equality areas of government policy are going to be moved from the Dept of Justice because the Green Party are not happy with how they have been handled and have been taking a lot of heat and Brian Cowen is fed up of the messing.

The National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism have gone completely, so the crime figures he quotes are more difficult to gather.

But in pure political communications terms I’m wondering who wrote the release and what exactly were they trying to prove? Because if you were to reflect on integration and migration policy in the last few years you might be left wondering if there is a government policy and in the lack of a policy that all this minister can do is say it’s not really as bad as Crowley makes out and has no success stories or positive spin to show at all but just picking holes in figures obscurely. I mean if it was really a poor publication wouldn’t the best thing for the Minister to do be to ignore it rather than respond so unconvincingly?

Responding to the pamphlet entitled “Hidden Messages/Overt Agendas” written
by Niall Crowley and published by the Migrant Rights Centre the Minister
for Integration, Mr. John Curran T.D., said

“Normally I welcome contributions to the debate as I believe it is only by
discussion and debate that we can, as a society, deal with the challenges
posed to Irish and non Irish alike.

Unfortunately, for reasons I will make clear I cannot afford a welcome to
this contribution as I believe there are such omissions as to render the
pamphlet seriously flawed.

What are the omissions?

First of all, in the context of this Office no reference is made to the
grants given to national groups in various fields to support integration -
in sporting and cultural fields, as well as grants made available to local
authorities to support integration in their own areas.

The pamphlet quotes, correctly, the McCarthy report as recommending that
the Office of the Minister for Integration should be abolished and that
language support teachers in schools should be reduced from 2200 to 500.

The Government did not abolish this Office and the reduction in language
support teachers was to about 1500 at a cost, incidentally, of about 100
million euro.

The pamphlet does not record this fact.

In dealing with the Live Register the author claims that, in previous
recessions, the numbers on the register were in some way hostile to women
and older people and, as a consequence, apparently “massaged” so as to show
a lower total. While it is not germane to the current pamphlet it is
difficult to see how paying pensions instead of unemployment benefits would
have been of financial benefit to the Governments of those years.

In this recession the author claims that the Government is encouraging
migrants to return home as a means of reducing the numbers on the live
register.

In support of this the author quotes an official of the Department of
Finance as saying that the overall projection for unemployment had been
reduced from 15.5% to 13.75%, predicated on significant numbers of non
national workers returning to their home countries and quoting an ESRI
projection that 40,000 non Irish nationals would leave in 2010.

Mr. Crowley then says “Unemployment, it would appear is now to managed by
encouraging migrant workers to leave Ireland”

This conclusion is simply not sustainable.

In dealing with racism the author states that in 2007 there were 224 racist
crimes reported in Ireland, an increase of 29.5% on the previous year.

The figures for 2006 – 173; 2007 – 214; 2008 172; 2009 – 126:

Use of incomplete figures can be misleading. There is no place for racism
but a full picture, good or bad, should be given.

The author makes much of the fact that there were only 77 labour inspectors
in August, 2009 despite the target having been set by the Government at 90
two years earlier.

The reality of the recession on public sector recruitment might have been
worthy of mention alongside the fact that at the time the commitment was
made there were 31 such inspectors.

Instead Mr Crowley states “This communicated another clear but unstated
political message that racism and exploitation are not as big a problem
anymore”.

It does no such thing.

On the Equality Authority it is true that Mr. Crowley resigned because he
believed that the proposed budget for the Authority for 2009 would not be
adequate.

So did some members of the board of the Authority.

The fact is that a new CEO is in place and the work of the Authority
continues.

In similar vein Mr Crowley refers to other bodies where funding was reduced
or eliminated.

We are in a recession and the ability of the Government to continue to fund
activities as generously as in the past is limited.

In dealing with the National Employment Rights Authority Mr. Crowley
deplores the fact that inspectors of the Authority were given powers to
check for the existence of work permits were required and states “the
use….unhelpfully transformed an agency that was established to protect
employee rights into a source of fear and anxiety for some migrant
workers”.

It is surely the case that a worker without a work permit is vulnerable to
exploitation, that an employer who employs such a worker is at a
competitive advantage vis a vis an employer who pays the appropriate fee
and that a separate agency should not be required to check for work
permits.

Mr. Crowley in his concluding remarks cites a UNDP report published in June
2009, which suggested ways of opening up migration paths.

The controls which have been put in place are regarded by the Government as
sensible.

Concluding the Minister said that while issue could be taken with the use
of statistics (for example in regard to the number of complaints made to
the Equality Tribunal regard should be had to the outcome rather than the
fact of an application) and other aspects of the pamphlet he believed that
the facts set out by him supported his view that the pamphlet is seriously
flawed and he was left pondering it’s title “Hidden Messages/Overt Agendas”

Back to this research which was a survey of over 1100 people using online non random methods. Funded by the European Commission and SIPTU it was conducted earlier this year and is launched tomorrow along with a report of a conference on Marriage Matters hosted by the NLGF in May.  The NLGF have stated that they are using this research to establish their mandate in influencing policy in national and international spheres – ooh a consultation!  To be followed by meetings around the country!  Good to see talking and listening to people is suddenly in vogue!

..the NLGF decided to consult with LGBT individuals and organisations nationwide, on what they consider to be the most important policy areas affecting them. The first stage of this was undertaking an online survey of the community. We were delighted to receive over 1100 responses to the survey, which makes it one of the largest consultation exercises ever undertaken with the LGBT community. The results of the survey form the basis of this report.
The next stage will be a number of meetings with people and organisations across the country to discuss the issues and plot the way forward. This will help us prioritise our future work, and inform us as to how we may best continue to support the LGBT community.

The Key Research Findings on the main issues concerning the LGBT community rank as follows

1. Equal Rights at Work

2. Personal Security

3. Marriage Equality

4. Support for younger LGBT people

5. Supporting people coming out

The Age and Gender split on the issues is very interesting and there is a strong emphasis in the report on the issues affecting people outside of Dublin and the difference between rural and urban respondents.

Marriage equality ranks highest for women under 35 and only 5th highest for women over 35. It does not rank at in the top five issues for Men over 35 and is third important for younger men.

It is to the Qualitative Data that the researchers are asked to turn to to drag up the Marriage Equality ranking.  Put simply respondents said more in open answers as a Burning Issue Priority on Marriage Equality issues than any other. So that makes it important again.  This blog’s resident sociologists can interpret this further if they wish! (Question 4a in the questionnaire and page 24 and 25 of the report)

Respect and dignity at work and safety in the streets coming higher than marriage in this research may serve as an important reminder to those recognised as commentators and consulted on LGBT issues.  But then again a few of them are busy talking up the LGBT community as confident actors in the economy.  Oops that was before the recession, I don’t know what the spin will be now.  Maybe the vulnerable and socially excluded drums will start beating soon enough as the money runs out.

The first is being held by the Joint Committee on the Constitution on Wednesday morning.

Review of the Electoral System: The effect of PR-STV on Women’s Representation in Parliament
+ Ms. Susan McKay, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland
+ Ms. Fiona Buckley, Department of Government, University College Cork
+ Senator Ivana Bacik
+ Senator Lisa McDonald

Maybe we could read more about this issue on the NWCI blog this week? (hint!)

The second hearing that I was delighted to see listed is the proposed appearance of representatives of the Equality and Rights Alliance before the The Joint Committee on European Affairs on Thursday next.

The Equality and Rights Alliance is a grouping of local and national NGO’s formed last year to fight the cutbacks to equality and human rights protection institutions in the state.

In September the Alliance lodged a complaint with the European Commission concerning the Governments failure to comply with EU law in the area of Equality. (Text of the full complaint is available here and the petition here) It is this complaint that representatives of ERA will be speaking before the committee about. All opposition MEP’s support the complaint and have supported the ERA’s corresponding petition.

The work of Oireachtas committee’s is usually ignored unless it’s the Public Accounts Committee. However I have noticed in the last year or so that many NGO’s are appearing before committees to discuss policy matters and accompanying campaigns. Does it make any difference to the work of the Oireachtas and the knowledge of members on the issues raised?

This was the opinion of many regarding Green Party commitment to social justice issues. I know that this is an unfair description with regard to many Green Party members and spokespersons. Ciaran Cuffe has spoken out frequently on matters of equality and been the target of much anger (including some from yours truly) regarding the cuts on equality and other government policies. There are many lesbians and gay men in membership in the Green Party and members with disabilities who are vocal on issues concerning equality.

The Green Party have been seen as the protectors of minorities and ‘champion’ of the marginalised in a coalition with Fianna Fáil. However after two years in power and now this renewed programme for government I think that description can be binned and probably created unfair expectations of a party of 6 TD’s.  (I don’t think there will be a lot of lesbians and gay men voting for the Green Party next time around.)

I didn’t comment on the Renewed Programme for Government yesterday as I was busy covering the event and encouraging coverage and communication on the liveblog. Much has been written elsewhere about the aspirational nature of the document.

The introduction to the section on social affairs is  entitled A More Caring and Just Society and is ripe for buzzword bingo in a time of fiscal rectitude.

Promoting care and a sense of personal responsibility for the welfare of others is one of society’s greatest moral challenges. In these straightened times we must avoid the temptation to retreat to self interest as a method of survival. We are obliged to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

A caring society respects its citizens equally while recognising their difference, it celebrates diversity.

The way we treat our sick is a true test of our values and the effectiveness of our social provision. The Government is determined to reform the healthcare system to improve the services to all people, regardless of income.

Where the unemployed, the young and the old need the safety net of Government support it will be provided as a matter of right. Childhood will be cherished as a special time requiring special protection.

The mentally ill, the disabled and the marginalised should not fear isolation. Our society should and must respect the right of our citizens equally while continuing to recognise their individual differences

I got a few messages yesterday whilst in the RDS asking me about the Equality section from friends who wondered if there was going to be a new Department of Culture and Equality. It seems there will be no such department and no commitment to reinstating the budget of the Equality Authority or the Irish Human Rights Commission.

Equality
· We will monitor, report annually and respond to the impact of the current
economic conditions on gender equality in employment, political participation, access to public services and care infrastructure, to ensure that gender equality continues to advance in difficult times.
· We will ensure the introduction of the Civil Partnership Bill to the Oireachtas before the end of 2009 and its early passage and implementation.
· We will review legislation in the area of guardianship, custody and access,
following the publication of the report of the Law Reform Commission Report
on Legal Aspects of Family Relationships.
· We will introduce legal recognition of the acquired gender of transsexuals.
· We will proceed, subject to appropriate Oireachtas approval, with proposals to hold a constitutional referendum to consider amending Article 41.2 of the
Constitution, broadening the reference to the role of women in the home to
one which recognises the role of the parent in the home.

That’s that then? And can someone let me know is the term ‘acquired gender’ the one in use by the transgendered or gender identity groups? It is not one that I would find respectful or understanding of the issues involved but I may be out of touch?

The Social Welfare section of the document is vague and troubling in it’s brevity.  No mention of protection from forthcoming cuts.  Nothing on child poverty and nothing on the cost of disability.

On disability there is a continued commitment to the National Disability Strategy (NDS). However if the commitment and policy action already displayed is to be taken as evidence of action in the future I doubt we’ll see much progress on the strategy. Millions has been cut from budgets for services for people with disabilities already with very little oversight or reaction.

Two points of note :

We will publish a “NDS Recession Implementation Plan�, central to
which will be the availability of accessible public and social services to
vindicate the rights of people with disabilities to full participation
within the State.

and

· We will advances measure [sic] to specifically strengthen collaborative
working across Departments, Public Bodies and the voluntary
disability sector to ensure person centred public service provision.

(Psst am I alone in noticing if you were to abbreviate the new commitment to the strategy on a recession plan for the NDS you would come up with NDS RIP. )

So anyone else bothered reading the document? Did you hear any Green Party spokesperson talking about the equality aspects of the programme?  Will we hear from Fianna Fáil talk about it or defend it? It is after all their document also – though you’d be pushed to think about it that way after this weekend.

Another chance for John Gormley to say that the party has saved the day in terms of equality and human rights infrastructure in Ireland. Do you remember the last time he said that the Greens had saved the day? Very little has changed in terms of the cuts experienced by the Equality Authority or the faith and trust of the groups affected by the nine grounds covered under the Equal Status Act.

Before we hear more the deal has to be finalised and of course voted on and passed by two thirds of the party at a special conference to be held in Dublin next weekend. All the Greens (elected and lay members) have been told not to talk about this in public and so all is quiet from the public representatives. Although we did hear yesterday from Senator Dan Boyle and Deputy Ciaran Cuffe regarding the passing of the amendment on the Treaty of Reform of the European Union (I never want to hear the word Lisbon and Treaty again!)

Expect the screw to be turned on the party to do the right thing/in the national interest/insert other worthy statement here. I think it won’t be the deers that will be alone in being stalked in the meantime.

Included in the report are the following:-

• Reallocate the statutory employment and occupational benefits responsibilities of the Equality Tribunal to the Employment Appeals Tribunal
• Transfer the disability functions of D/JE&LR to the Office for Mental Health and Disability in the Department of Health & Children [I blogged here about how this is a v. bad idea]
• Reduce expenditure on the gender mainstreaming [and integration] and transfer the function to the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment
• Reduce the allocation to equality organisations and projects
• Reduce the non-pay allocation to civil service offices in this Programme

In total the savings would amount to €7.5 million but if they were acted on the title of the department would breach a trade descriptions act (not that the Minister could be accused of defending the brand of late could he?)

The cuts recommended may not be too upsetting for Minister Dermot Ahern and his Secretary General who have been cutting the brief, kneecapping the related agencies, and butchering funding over the last year but I’m hearing that the Taoiseach has a bit of a pain in the face from Minister Ahern pissing off the Greens in Government.

So maybe the recommendations of Colm McCarthy and friends will help Cowen move the problem and keep John Gormley and co happier?  Of course there is no guarantee that Mary Coughlan would remain in post as Minister for Enterprise and Employment and this is more about the brief then it is about the Minister? Or is it? There are other ministers not happy with the report and it’s impact on their departments and constituencies – Eamon O’Cuiv of course is one of them.

Date of the reshuffle?

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Questions to Justice, Equality and Law Reform Minister Dermot Ahern (he who hogged Questions and Answers on Monday night last..) yesterday in the Dáil continued to focus on the the Equality Authority. Regular readers of the blog will know that this is a subject I return to on a regular basis.

At the Green Party Conference last month party Leader and Minister for the Enviroment John Gormley made a big issue about saving the Authority and I reported on the matter the night of his annoucement and asked a number of questions.

Yesterday members of the Opposition asked about he announcement made by Minister Gormley and if any jobs had actually been moved back to Dublin or stopped from moving to Roscrea. Pat Rabbitte also refers to the length of time it is taking to appoint a new CEO and that the Minister for Justice is looking for a safe person for the job.  (The verbal questions are follow ups to written questions asked late last month by Deputy Aengus O’Snodaigh (SF) where I questioned if the Green Party had been had.)

Charles Flanagan from Fine Gael also asked about the claim that Minister Gormley made to have had the cuts to the Authority’s budget (43%) reversed.  Dermot Ahern does not seem to have answered if his cabinet colleague was correct and was the saviour?

You have a read of the exchanges and see if you can deduce if the coalition partners were let up a garden path. Whilst the Minister says there will be no more staff moved and the budget would be reviewed there are already reviews undertaken which have not been published – possibly because they don’t appeal to the Ministers sensibilities?

72. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his policy in respect of the Equality Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14376/09]

76. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will confirm that the planned decentralisation of staff of the Equality Authority has been cancelled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14246/09]

99. Deputy Arthur Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 539 of 24 March 2009, he will confirm the statement (details supplied) that an independent review of the Equality Authority’s budget will be conducted; if so the make-up, form and timeframe of that review; if he will offer a guarantee that the 43% budget cut will be reversed and the extent to which it will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14196/09]

110. Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, in regard to the speech (details supplied) he will outline those changes to the Equality Authority that have been reversed; the person by whom the review of funding of the Equality Authority will be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15585/09]

Deputy Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 76, 99 and 110 together.

I am pleased to indicate that in launching its new strategic plan on 4 April 2009 for the period 2009 to 2011 entitled, Equality for All in a Time of Change, the Equality Authority fully reaffirmed its determination to continue its important work, while fully acknowledging the changed financial circumstances in which all public bodies operate. I extended my support for the policy contained in the strategic plan when I met the authority on the day of the launch of its plan. The plan highlights the positive contribution that an environment free from discrimination can make to competitiveness and economic recovery. The plan obliges the authority to participate actively in initiatives to promote policy for economic development and competitiveness through enhanced diversity and equality.

For the information of the House I can also state that, notwithstanding the general moratorium on the filling of public service vacancies, the recruitment of a new CEO for the authority is going ahead under the auspices of a public competition being organised by the Public Appointments Service. I am advised that there is a considerable level of interest in the post and therefore it will be some weeks yet before a candidate is selected for appointment under the normal statutory procedures.

As I previously indicated to the House, I recently agreed in principle to a request from the chair of the Equality Authority to suspend the transfer of staff from Dublin to Roscrea on the grounds of hardship. I asked my officials to work out the details on a case-by-case basis with the acting chief executive officer of the authority and to review the situation again in 2011 when other aspects of the wider decentralisation programme are due to be reviewed. Pending that review there will be no further increase in the number of staff in the Roscrea office of the authority, which will be 16.

The special group on public service numbers and expenditure programme will undertake an independent analysis of the position relating to the budget, efficiencies and capacity of the Equality Authority to independently and effectively fulfil its statutory functions. There is no predetermined outcome to that review. I expect the group to take the authority’s allocation in 2008 as its starting point given the significant changes that have taken place in the authority in the past 12 months.

Again, as I previously stated in the House, the Government is fully committed to the equality agenda and the ongoing work of the Equality Authority. Since it became fully operational in 1999 more than €45 million has been provided by the State for the activities of the Equality Authority alone. At least another €30 million was provided to other bodies – the Equality Tribunal and the Human Rights Commission – that have been involved in equality related issues in the past six to seven years.

Deputy Charles Flanagan:Will the Minister confirm whether the reply he just gave to the House is official Government policy or is it his policy on the issue? Was his colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, telling the truth at the recent Green Party conference in March when he stated he had succeeded in reversing the cuts to the Equality Authority, and that he had succeeded also in halting the decentralisation of the headquarters of the authority to Roscrea in County Tipperary? Is the Green Party now deciding policy in this issue or is the Minister, Deputy Gormley, being less than frank with the truth?

In respect of the Roscrea situation, are we now going to have two Equality Authority offices, the Minister, Deputy Gormley’s rump in Dublin, which he calls the headquarters and the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern’s decentralised offices in Roscrea? This shambles is of the Minister’s making and the sooner it is sorted the better.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: This is not a shambles. It was originally agreed that the majority of the Equality Authority would decentralise to Roscrea and that a core staff would remain in Dublin. The Government made the decision in the context of the tightening budgetary situation last year that we would, in effect, suspend decentralisation for the majority of the projects, especially in those areas where no contracts had been agreed for the construction of buildings.

There were three separate categories. Some were ready to go to contract or contracts were more or less finalised. In the case of others, interim arrangements were in place, such as the Equality Authority, where people had already decentralised to Roscrea and were in situ there – a number of agencies had a dual location. There were others that had not gone to contract and in respect of which people were not in temporary accommodation. The Government decided these would no longer go ahead. With regard to the Equality Authority, there were a number of people in Roscrea and a number in Dublin. There is no difference of opinion between myself and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley. The fact is—–

Deputy Charles Flanagan: He said the cuts were reversed and that he had succeeded.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: —–that there are 16 people in Roscrea at present and approximately 19 in Dublin. A number of the latter bilocate. That was part of their contract long before there was any row about the Equality Authority.

Deputy Charles Flanagan: The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, said he had twisted the arm of the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and that the latter had caved in.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: Quite a number of senior personnel – one or two have already purchased houses in Roscrea – are bilocating between the two locations.

Deputy Pat Rabbitte: Bilocating, God almighty, I cannot get over this. There are now two equality authorities. The Minister tried to destroy the one we had and now has created two. I suppose he will be able to cycle to the one in Dublin but will have to drive to Roscrea. I never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life.

Can I ask my question again? The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, claims the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform reversed the cuts to the budget of the Equality Authority. Is this true or false? When the latter gutted the Equality Authority and drove out the chief executive in an act of vindictiveness, did he reverse his decision?

I note the Minister is to recruit a new CEO. I suppose that will take a while because he will have to be sure this one is safe. If he ever recruits a CEO who is willing to discharge his functions, he will probably want to drive him out again.

Where is the Deloitte audit of effectiveness and value for money in the Equality Authority? Why is the Minister sitting on it and why will he not publish it? Why will he not make it available to us? Will he make it available to an bord snip nua before any decision is made? For how long will the bilocation to which the Minister refers take place? For how long will we have a gutted Equality Authority in Dublin and 16 people located in Roscrea?

Is it any wonder public spending in this country is as it is? It is an unbelievable mess and the Minister and his colleague, Deputy Gormley, have made it worse.

Deputy Dermot Ahern:The issue of having two locations – Roscrea and Dublin – predated any row, any resignation of the—–

Deputy Pat Rabbitte: What row? With whom?

Deputy Charles Flanagan: Was it a row with the Green Party?

Deputy Dermot Ahern: —–predated any resignation of the CEO.

Deputy Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Gormley is a pussycat.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: What I state is absolutely the case; the decision predated the—–

(Interruptions).

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Please allow the Minister to reply.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: It was part of the employment contract of a number of people in senior management that they would bilocate between Roscrea and Dublin. That was part of the decision made by the Government when it suspended the decentralisation programme overall. There is absolutely no difference between the Greens and Fianna Fáil in respect of this matter.

Deputy Charles Flanagan: The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, said he had reversed the decision and had succeeded in twisting the arm of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: We have the one commitment in regard to equality and it speaks for itself. Since 1999, we have invested €45 million in the Equality Authority. Deputy Rabbitte spoke about an equality authority when in Government but did nothing about it.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: I ask Deputy Rabbitte to be brief. I want to allow Deputy Ó Snodaigh to ask a final question.

Deputy Pat Rabbitte: I apologise to Deputy Ó Snodaigh but this is my fourth attempt to obtain a response. Will the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform state whether the statement by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to the effect that he persuaded him to reverse the cuts in respect of the Equality Authority is true or not?

Deputy Charles Flanagan: That is the net issue.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: The budget for 2009 is the same as was indicated in the last set of Estimates and it amounts to €3.3 million. In the context of the expenditure review, we have asked those involved to examine again the issue of the Equality Authority from the starting point of 2008, which was before any cuts were made for 2009.

Deputy Pat Rabbitte: Therefore, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government was codding us and the members of his party and there is no basis for the remarks members of the Green Party.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: I ask Deputy Rabbitte to allow Deputy Ó Snodaigh to contribute.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: The decision on whether the authority receives more or less money will be made by the Government in the aftermath of the review.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Is the Minister aware that the Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights recently criticised Ireland for cutting the budget of the Equality Authority so drastically? Last year the Government made great play of presenting a report to the UN Human Rights Committee, of which Judge Elizabeth Palm was a member.

Deputy Dermot Ahern: When I entered office, I made a decision, particularly in the context of a contracting Exchequer position, that all the areas that were not crime-related had to take a significant hit in view of the fact that I wanted to increase the resources for Operation Anvil and for the Criminal Assets Bureau. I did so to retain the number of gardaí because that is my first priority. I regret other areas in the Department must be subject to a significant cut but that is the position given the restricted resources we now have and will have in the years ahead.

Deputy Charles Flanagan: The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, says he is calling the shots on this.

Deputy Paul Kehoe: Ministerless Gormley.

Answer to question from Aengus O’Snodaigh from Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform Dermot Ahern on March 24th

To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the recent statement to the effect that the decentralisation of the Equality Authority will not continue and that an independent review of its budget will be conducted; if he will confirm the substance of this statement; the position regarding the Equality Authority in view of the fact that its staff is split between two locations as a result of decentralisation to date; the make-up, form and timeframe of the planned budget review; if he will offer a guarantee that the 43% budget cut will be reversed; and the extent to which it will be reversed.

Answer….(Edited by MP to include relevant bit!)
….Discussions have been ongoing between my Department and the Authority on its cost base. The savings, already announced in relation to accommodation and IT, have enabled the Authority to concentrate on its core programme objectives of working towards the elimination of discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity. The Deputy will appreciate that no review of funding of any public body at present can operate without reference to the grave Exchequer position.

Under the Plan the Authority is open for business at both of its offices, in Birchgrove House, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary and in Clonmel Street, Dublin. I recently agreed in principle to a request from the Chair of the Equality Authority to delay on hardship grounds the transfer of 4-5 staff to Roscrea. I have asked my officials to work out the details on a case-by-case basis with the acting Chief Executive Officer of the Authority and to review the situation again in 2011 when other aspects of the wider decentralisation programme are due to be reviewed. I understand from the Equality Authority that fifteen staff have taken up duty at the Roscrea offices of the Authority, a total which will increase to 23 people in the coming weeks.

Over to you Minister Gormley?

Tonight party leader and Minister for Environment, John Gormley, welcomed delegates to the conference. He brought good news – well he needed to!

One of the issues that has caused deep concern and upset in our party has been the changes to the Equality Authority. Those changes resulted in the resignation of Niall Crowley, a man of integrity and principle, and that was very regrettable.

At our membership meetings I undertook to have those changes reversed. And I’m very glad to report to you this evening that we have succeeded in our mission. The planned further decentralisation of staff has been stopped and a further review of funding for the Equality Authority to ensure that it can do its work effectively.

I want to thank the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice for their cooperation in this matter. It shows that we can work out those difficulties in Government.

The announcement has been greeted very positively by delegates but there is very little detail contained within.  A couple of thoughts which are probably taxing the minds of many after tonights announcement and presumably will form questions being asked of and by Green Party members.

1. Is the review announced tonight separate to the Value for Money Report undertaken by Deloitte and Touche  last Autumn which has already been completed and the Department for Justice have not yet released?
2. What can be done to repair the tremendous damage that has been done between the civic society sector, social partners and the Authority?
3. What will happen regarding vacant positions on the Board to ensure independence, fairness and transparency?
4. What is the situation facing staff who have already moved? Two separate legal sections in Dublin and Roscrea does not make much sense?  Given the chairpersons admittance on Wednesday that calls for information and case numbers are remaining steady it surely makes sense to strengthen the legal department as much as possible.
5. There are staff in Dublin who have been replaced recently and not decentralised.   Does this announcement mean that no more staff will be decentralised and that other staff positions saved from financial cuts will also not have to move to Roscrea?
6. Will the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission be finally made directly accountable to the Oireachtas and fully independent from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as required by international law?
7. I wonder if someone will also apologise to staff (present and former members) for the stress of the past few years.  They’ve become political puppets as decentralisation was used as a weapon against a successful respected agency protecting those most at risk in our society, and not as an infrastructual investment feature of state policy.

Joanna McMinn, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland was a guest speaker at tonights conference. She is also Chairperson of the Equality and Rights Alliance. Joanna welcomed the announcement but pointedly referred to assertions  earlier in the week that it was business as usual at the Equality Authority and said it could not be the case.  The news was “a step in the right direction” towards rebuilding Ireland’s equality and rights infrastructure but no organisation can survive a 43% budget cut intact and Joanna also pointed to the situation facing the Irish Human Rights Commission – who have had their budget cut by 24%.

If anyone didn’t believe me through the past 8 months of blogging the cuts, threats and censorhip, well maybe today’s column puff piece by John Waters may have convinced you of the game being played.  I assume the Green Party are aware of the state of play and will be using video replays and postmortems aplenty at each stage of the next few vital months monitoring the possible restoration of human rights and equality infrastructure of the state.  No pressure so!