Press release, for immediate release
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Cases under the Equal Status Acts, which prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services, are entering “uncharted waters”, a high-profile equality conference in Dublin heard today (Tuesday 23 October 2012).
The conference, The Future of Anti-Discrimination Law in Ireland, was held to mark the publication of an authoritative new legal text book on the Equal Status Acts commissioned by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL).
Equal Status Acts 2000-2011: Discrimination in the Provision of Goods and Servicesby Judy Walsh, Head of the Equality Studies Centre at the UCD School of Social Justice, was officially launched by Senator Katherine Zappone at the Law Society of Ireland today.
ICCL Director, Mr Mark Kelly said:
“We are delighted to have been able to support the production of the first authoritative account of the state of the law under the Equal Status Acts 2000-2011. Judy Walsh is to be congratulated for producing a treatise that is both comprehensive and highly-readable.”
“However, both of the statutory bodies that process Equal Status Act cases, the Equality Authority and the Equality Tribunal, are embroiled in distinct merger processes with uncertain outcomes. As a result, applicants with future cases under the Equal Status Acts are entering uncharted waters. It is not enough to clarify the law under the Equal Status Acts. Those with potential claims under these important statutes must also be reassured that, in future, their cases will continue to be processed in an effective way by the new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and by the Workplace Relations Commission, into which the Equality Tribunal is to be merged” Mr Kelly added.
For further details please contact:
Walter Jayawardene
Communications Manager
Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL)
9-13 Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel. + 353 1 799 4503
Mob: +353 87 9981574
Fax. + 353 1 799 4512
E-mail walter.jayawardene@iccl.ie
Web www.iccl.ie
Notes:
Today’s Conference and Book Launch
- The new ICCL legal textbook Equal Status Acts 2000-2011: Discrimination in the Provision of Goods and Services by Judy Walsh was launched at an ICCL conference entitled ‘The Future of Anti-Discrimination Law in Ireland’ in the Law Society, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7 on 23 October 2012. The conference began at 9am, with the book launch taking place at 11.15am.
- The book was launched by Senator Katherine Zappone along with its author, Judy Walsh, Head of the Equality Studies Centre at the UCD School of Social Justice.
- Photographs are being filed to all desks by Gareth Chaney of Collins Photo (garethchaney@eircom.net)
The conference’The Future of Anti-Discrimination Law in Ireland’, held from 9am – 1pm also featured contributions by:
- Niall McCutcheon, Director of the Equality Tribunal
- Brian Merriman, Head of Legal Services, Equality Authority
- Conor Power BL, Chair of the Advisory Group on the ICCL Review of Anti-Discrimination Law in Ireland Project
- Moya de Paor, Solicitor and Acting Director of Northside Community Law Centre (NCLC)
- Michael Farrell, Solicitor and member of the Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA); former Human Rights Commissioner
About the new textbook Equal Status Acts 2000-2011: Discrimination in the Provision of Goods and Services:
For over a decade the Equal Status Acts have outlawed discrimination in the provision of goods, services, education and accommodation. This book, commissioned by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), provides accurate, comprehensive information about the operation of the law in practice. It explains the types of actions or omissions that amount to discrimination, examines relevant case law and looks at how the Acts are enforced.
This book informs a broad range of audiences about the influential Equal Status Acts:
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- Legal practitioners and their clients
- Legislators and policy makers
- Academics and students
- Advocates and advice providers
- Non-governmental organisations
- Providers of goods, services, accommodation and education
See further details at http://www.blackhallpublishing.com/index.php/books/new-forthcoming/equal-status-acts.html
The book can be ordered from the ICCL via this form.