The President, Mrs McAleese, has signed the Bill setting up a Human Rights Commission. When established, the commission will be able to conduct inquiries into human rights abuses and take cases to court on behalf of individuals and groups.
It will review existing measures for protecting human rights and can recommend additional measures to the Government, including changes in the law. "Human rights" are defined as those rights, liberties and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and by any treaty or convention to which the State is a party.
The commission forms part of the undertakings given by the Government in the Belfast Agreement and parallels a similar commission set up in Northern Ireland 15 months ago.
A figure of £600,000 has been set aside for the commission's budget in this State, but this is likely to increase when details of staff, salaries, establishment of an office and associated expenses are worked out.
Following the establishment of the Human Rights Commission in this jurisdiction, a joint North-South committee of both commissions will be set up. This will draw up a human rights charter on agreed measures for the protection of the rights of everyone living in Ireland.
Another part of the human rights apparatus being put in place by the Government will be the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into Irish law. According to the Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, legislation will be brought forward to do this by October, when the convention also becomes part of British law. This will mean citizens can invoke articles of the convention in the Irish courts, without having to exhaust all avenues open to them in this State and then appealing to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has called for an open appointments procedure, and for representation on the commission of marginalised and disadvantaged groups such as Travellers, asylum-seekers and the disabled.
"Appointments should be made by open advertisement as with the Northern Ireland Commission, and there should not be even the whiff of cronyism about the Human Rights Commission if it is to win the confidence of the very people it is intended to serve," said Mr Michael Farrell, co-chair of the ICCL.