Ford welcomes overdue NIHRC appointments

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 16th Jun 2005

Alliance Party Leader, David Ford, has welcomed the long overdue appointment of new commissioners to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. Two weeks ago, he slammed the Government for failing to make appointments on schedule and leaving the Commission in a vacuum for over three months.

David Ford said, "These appointments to the Human Rights Commission are long overdue. The Commission will now be brought back to full strength for the first time in two years.

"This Commission will have a major challenge to live up to the good work of its predecessor under Brice Dickson. The first Commission contained a

number of individuals with exceptional backgrounds in the field of human rights.

"Without criticising any of the new members as individuals, I believe that there will be grounds for concern over the balance of experience and opinion held by the new Commission as a whole.

"Alliance will give the Commission a fair wind. It is important that all parties give the Commission a fresh start, and put past controversies behind them.

"For its part, it is equally important that the Commission stresses its independence and avoids slavishly following any narrow section or

conservative agenda, particularly on matters of identity in a multicultural society."

ENDS