Queen’s to debate future of Human Rights Commissions

The future of Human Rights Commissions in the UK and Ireland will be examined at Queen's University Belfast this week.

The Human Rights Centre at the Queen's School of Law, in co-operation with the Faculty of Law, University of Bristol, will hold a half-day conference in Belfast on Friday on the role of both Commissions.

Professor Colin Harvey, Director of the Human Rights Centre at Queen's, said: "This is an important time in the debate over the future of Human Rights Commissions in these islands.

“As is well known, the debate in Ireland, North and South, continues. The Equality Bill proposes the establishment in Britain of a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. There are also proposals for a Scottish Human Rights Commission.”

Those speaking at Friday's conference will include: Dr Maurice Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights Commission; Paddy Sloan, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; Dr Rachel Murray, Faculty of Law, University of Bristol; Aideen Gilmore, Committee on the Administration of Justice; Francesca Klug, London School of Economics and Political Science; and Brian Peddie, Human Rights and Law Reform Branch, Scottish Executive.

(MB/SP)