The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has announced the reappointment of two Commissioners to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Hilary Benn MP, has announced the reappointment of two Commissioners (Lisa Caldwell and Stephen Mathews) and a short-term extension to the appointment of Deputy Chief Commissioner (Neil Anderson) to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland with effect from 1 March 2026.
In addition, he has announced the appointment of a new Deputy Chief Commissioner (Colin Kennedy) and two Commissioners (Kevin Doherty and Kristel Miller) to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
Background
The Equality Commission was established in 1999, as part of the implementation of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. It took over the functions of the Fair Employment Commission, Equal Opportunities Commission, and Council for Racial Equality and Northern Ireland Disability Council.
The Commission is responsible for policing the Statutory Duty on all public authorities in Northern Ireland to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity across a range of areas including religion, political opinion, gender, race, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability and those with and without dependants. The Commission is funded and sponsored by The Executive Office.
