Niall Crowley’s Resignation as Chief Executive of the Equality Authority

Published: Thursday, December 11, 2008

The National Women's Council of Ireland has today expressed its full support for Niall Crowley and the principled stand he has taken in resigning as Chief Executive of the Equality Authority. "This decision we believe has been forced on Niall Crowley as a result of the massive budgetary cuts to the Authority, combined with decentralisation, making the Equality Authority unviable," stated Maura Butler, Chairperson of the National Women's Council of Ireland.

"For a public servant to take the courageous step of sacrificing his career in order to expose the undermining of the equality and human rights infrastructure in Ireland is a rare act of courage," she continued.

'Women in Ireland have benefited enormously from the work of the Equality Authority under Niall's leadership," said Ms Butler, "now women experiencing discrimination, will have no support if they wish to take a case under our equality legislation; neither Heather Lane who recently won a case of discrimination on pregnancy leave grounds, nor Phyllis Fahy who won a case of discrimination on age grounds, both of them against financial institutions, would be able to take their cases in 2009."

This is a sad day for equality in Ireland.