Social Affairs & Religion Correspondent
A public consultation on anti-racism in Ireland has been launched by Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth Roderic O'Gorman.
It follows the publication by Mr O'Gorman of an interim report of an Independent Anti-Racism Committee.
The public consultation which has been announced will feed into a final National Action Plan Against Racism which will be developed by the Anti-Racism Committee.
In its interim report, the Committee has made three recommendations for immediate action.
It suggests removing Ireland’s reservation to Article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The reservation sets out the Irish position on the appropriate balance to be drawn between the rights to freedom of speech, expression and association on the one hand, and the State’s obligations to tackle racism and prevent and prosecute incitement to racial hatred on the other.