Appointment of new Human Rights Commissioners

Appointment of new Human Rights Commissioners

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission today welcomes the announcement of six new part time Commissioners by the Secretary of State The Rt. Hon Brandon Lewis CBE.

Helen Henderson, Jonathan Kearney, David Lavery, Maura Muldoon, Eddie Rooney and Stephen White will join the full time Chief Commissioner Les Allamby, Chief Executive Dr David Russell and staff from 1 September 2020.

“I am delighted on behalf of the Commission to welcome these appointments. The new Commissioners join us at a time when the COVID -19 pandemic is affecting every aspect of our lives and the UK is about to leave the European Union. Securing the protection and promotion of human rights in Northern Ireland has never been more important and the scrutiny role the Commission plays during this time is vital. We look forward to working in September with the new Commissioners to carry forward our existing work and to setting new future priorities together.”

ENDS

Further information:

For further information please contact Claire Martin: (028) 9024 3987 (office), 0771 7731873 (mobile).

Notes to editors:

1. Read more about the new Commissioner appointments and the terms of appointment on the NIO website.

2. Les Allamby was appointed Chief Commissioner in 2014, he remains in post until his term ends in September 2021. Read more about the Chief Commissioner here.

3. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body first proposed in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement (1998) and established in 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act (1998). It is answerable to Parliament at Westminster. In accordance with the Paris Principles the Commission reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of measures undertaken by the UK Government to promote and protect human rights, specifically within Northern Ireland. Read more about the work of the Commission in its latest Annual Report here. Read about the Commission’s annual statement here.