Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD Minister of State for New Communities, Culture & Equality
IRISH HUMAN RIGHTS & EQUALITY COMMISSION As part of Budget 2015, I was delighted to announce €6.3m in funding for the newly established Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Last summer Emily Logan, the former Ombudsman for Children, was appointed Chief Commissioner for the body which was created following the merger of the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission. To reaffirm the Commission’s independence, its funding allocation was given a stand alone vote in the Dáil which puts it on the same footing as the Property Registration Authority and Courts Service. I look forward to working with the Commission in the months ahead.
PROMOTING WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP ROLES In late November, I co-hosted a conference with IBEC entitled ‘Investing in Talent - Promoting Gender-Balanced Leadership. The event was chaired by the founder of Women on Air, Margaret E Ward, and was supported by the European Commission Programme PROGRESS. The purpose of the conference was to encourage young women to consider leadership roles in their future. At present, much like politics, the boardroom is male dominated and this has to change.
Investing in Talent - Promoting Gender Balanced Leadership Conference
My Department is in the early stages of preparing a Talent Bank of suitably qualified women for vacancies on State Boards. A publicity campaign will be undertaken when the Talent Bank is launched to invite applications. In the meantime, expressions of interest to serve on State Boards are currently being accepted on the website www.stateboards.ie by registering with PAS and signing-up for vacancy alerts for the category 'Member of State Boards'.
Min. of State Ó Ríordáin speaking at the inaugural Direct Provision Working Group meeting
DIRECT PROVISION Upon taking office as Minister of State for New Communities, Culture & Equality I decided to make it a priority to address the Direct Provision System for Refugees and Asylum Seekers. I feel a huge sense of responsibility to oversee a system that is more humane and more dignified for those who are now living here and want to be part of this country. It has become apparent that the key issue is the length of time that people are expected to spend in these centres and in conjunction with the Minister for Justice, I have asked the Attorney General’s Office to prepare a Protection Bill which would allow for all new applications to be processed within six months. I have also established a Working Group to look at the protection process as a whole. This group is made up of NGOs as well as Departmental Officials and chaired by former High Court Judge Bryan McMahon. It is due to report by Easter with recommendations for changing the system.
MARRIAGE EQUALITY The Government have announced that the Marriage Equality Referendum will take place in May 2015. The Labour Party has consistently led on the issue of Gay rights in Ireland. Long before it was popular, we were advocating for legislative changes to advance the rights of Ireland’s LGBT community. In conjunction to the Marriage Equality Referendum we are also working on the Child & Family Relationships Bill which will correct the anomaly in our law that prevent gay couples from adopting children. 2015 will be the year of love, when we fight and win a referendum on this issue. I will be strongly advocating for a Yes vote over the coming weeks and months, and I hope you will join me.
COMMEMORATIONS I was recently appointed Vice-Chair of the Oireachtas All-Party Consultation Group on Commemorations and Vice-Chair of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 1916 Steering Group. To ensure that the voices of our party are heard, I have established the Labour Party 1916 Centenary Commemoration Committee and over the coming months we will work to ensure that we participate in the State commemorations and develop our own programme to mark the 1916 Rising. The State is also commemorating many more events that are being marked over the coming years. Among these commemorations, I have been assisting Senator Susan O’Keeffe with the great work she is doing on Yeats2015, a year-long celebration of W.B. Yeats to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth. I firmly believe that as a Republic, the 1916 Easter Rising belongs to all of us, as does its commemoration. If you have any proposals for either the State’s or the Labour Party’s commemorations of the 1916 Rising, email me your ideas at aodhan.oriordain@oireachtas.ie
Minister Ó Ríordáin with Tánaiste Joan Burton at the Launch of the Government's conslutation process on 2016
EMPLOYMENT POLSKAEIRE2015 – THE POLISH IRISH STRATEGY FOR FESTIVAL PEOPLE WITH Since Poland joined the European Union in 2004, DISABILITIES it is estimated that there As part of my role as Minister of State with responsibility for Equality, I chair the National Disability Strategy Implementation Group meetings. At our recent meeting the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities was raised and discussed at length. Following this discussion, I asked to have the draft proposals sent back for more work to ensure that they contain real targets and lead to an improvement in the employment position of people with disabilities.
AODHÁN Ó RÍORDÁIN TD Minister of State for New Communities, Culture & Equality
are 150,000 Polish citizens living in the Republic of Ireland, and more also living in the North, resulting in Polish becoming the secondmost widely spoken Aodhán at a Forum Polonia event language on the island. To champion the diversity that Polish people bring to Ireland, I have established a nationwide festival; PolskaEire2015 which will coincide with the UEFA Republic of Ireland vs. Poland qualifier on the 29th of March. I am working with the FAI, the Polish Embassy, Dublin City Council and local authorities throughout the State, as well as Polish groups, to ensure the programme is diverse and far reaching. In addition to the many great cultural events being held, the FAI will be running a series of football sessions with schools and clubs in locations around the country to bring Polish and Irish children together through sport.
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e: aodhan.oriordain@oir.ie @AodhanORiordain