Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

House of Lords written question – answered at on 12 October 2011.

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Photo of Lord Laird Lord Laird UUP

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 3 October (WA 132), who was the "independent expert" in human rights; what are their qualifications in this area; and how they were selected.

Photo of Lord Shutt of Greetland Lord Shutt of Greetland Lords Spokesperson (Northern Ireland Office), Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords) , Liberal Democrat Lords Chief Whip

The independent expert, Sarah Spencer CBE, was selected by the chair of the panel and her panel membership was approved by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Sarah Spencer is deputy director of Oxford University's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, chair of the Equality and Diversity Forum and a visiting professor at the Human Rights Centre, University of Essex. She was deputy chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, a former general-secretary of Liberty, and formerly a member of the Cabinet Office reference group on the equality review, the Home Office Taskforce on the Human Rights Act and the DTI Taskforce on the Commission on Equality and Human Rights. She currently sits on advisory committees for a number of non-governmental bodies, including the British Institute of Human Rights. In 2007, she was awarded a CBE for services to equal opportunities and human rights.

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