'Equality' Challenge From DUP Leader

NI's most senior politician has continued his criticism of the Equality Commission and challenged the Secretary of State to rectify its "unrepresentative" nature.

First Minister Peter Robinson again attacked the organisation for its lack of unionist employees and commissioners, having previously made similar comments around three months ago in the Assembly.

The DUP Leader (pictured) was speaking after a meeting with the Commission, which had been seeking discussions with him since his initial statement.

Mr Robinson said he was "appalled" that so few commission employees are Protestant, adding that he could not identify a single one of its 16 commissioners who would be "representative of mainstream unionism".

"It is outrageous that a mere 34% of the staff of the Equality Commission is drawn from a Protestant community background," he said.

"Furthermore, if we look at the commissioners themselves, I cannot identify a single person who would share the views of the tens of thousands of people who vote for the main Unionist party in Northern Ireland."

Mr Robinson said four new commissioners were to be appointed in September and he urged the Secretary of State Shaun Woodward to "fulfil his legal obligations" and address the commission's "shameful past legacy".

However, a spokesman for the Equality Commission told the Belfast News Letter that it would "not be distracted from its important work", adding that the proportion of job applications it receives from the Protestant community are traditionally "lower than we would wish".

He added that the appointment of commissioners was entirely a matter for the Secretary of State.

He also noted that the commission has now implemented a first for any employer in Northern Ireland by offering free independent training for Protestant applicants to increase their likelihood of landing jobs with it.

"An independent survey whose results were published last month showed that the majority of people across all traditions have trust and confidence in what we do," he said.

He said the commission is doing everything that the law allows to increase successful applications from Protestants, but that it can only appoint on merit.

He also strongly defended the current 16 commissioners, noting that they were appointed following open public competitions and that they are "wholly committed to reflecting the needs of the whole community".

(BMcC/KMcA)