Human Rights Inquiry
Y dudalen yma yn Gymraeg
We are carrying out an inquiry to find out how human rights works in Britain, in line with our powers under section 16 of the Equality Act 2006. The inquiry was launched on 21 April 2008 and we expect to complete the process by December. We are now at the stage of gathering evidence for the inquiry.
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Purpose of the inquiry
For the Commission, this inquiry represents the starting point for our remit on human rights. Our goals for this work are to:
- promote understanding of the importance of human rights
- encourage good practice in relation to human rights
- promote awareness, understanding and protection of human rights, and
- encourage public authorities to comply with the Human Rights Act (section 9 of the Equality Act).
We hope that by the end of the inquiry we will have:
- a reliable set of findings about the state of human rights in Britain, and
- recommendations to move the human rights agenda forward.
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Gathering evidence
We will be gathering evidence for the inquiry using a number of methods. We are calling for evidence from individuals, organisations and service providers, based on their experiences, positive and negative. We are commissioning research on specific areas that we have identified will help with the inquiry. We also expect to use other methods, like inquiry panels to hear evidence from witnesses.
Find out more about our call for evidence
Find out more about the planned research
Read our press release about the call for evidence Back to top^
Terms of reference
When we launched the inquiry the first thing we did was to consult people about the terms of reference for this inquiry. We had a good response to the consultation and the terms of reference have now been finalised.
Read about the terms of reference, the issues raised through consultation and how we will address these issues.
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How will the inquiry be carried out?
We have appointed Dame Nuala O'Loan to chair the inquiry. She was formerly Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland, with experience of leading other investigations. Find out more about Dame Nuala O'Loan.
Francesca Klug is the lead commissioner representing the Commission. We are delighted to announce that Sir Bert Massie and Neil Wooding have now joined the inquiry as commissioners, to guide the inquiry process alongsite Nuala and Francesca
The inquiry will initially be restricted to England and Wales. Once the Scottish Commission for Human Rights is operational, we hope to extend the inquiry to Scotland.
The inquiry will investigate:
- public attitudes to the Human Rights Act
- how the Human Rights Act is working
- how it is used by public authorities and other organisations where appropriate.
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