Joan Harbison, Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission (1999-2005)

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is an independent body established under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. It became operational on 1 September 1999 when the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Dr Mo Mowlam appointed a Chief Commissioner, Joan Harbison, a part-time Deputy Chief Commissioner, Bronagh Hinds and 18 part-time Commissioners. It is the responsibility of the Secretary of State to secure, as far as practicable, that the Commissioners, as a group, are representative of the community in Northern Ireland.

The new Commission replaced four separate bodies: the Fair Employment Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Council. In its annual report to the Department of Economic Development, the Commission is required by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (the Act) to give details of how resources have been divided between the functions previously carried out by the four separate bodies. The Equality Commission's corporate plan indicates that it will consider and consult upon options in relations to consultative councils, specified in section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act whose role will be to advise the Commission.. The Equality Commission maintains the powers of all the anti-discrimination legislation in the above areas.

The key duties of the Equality Commission include:

Section 75 promotes equality of opportunity between persons of different sexual orientations

The Equality Commission fulfils part of the British government's pledge under the Good Friday Agreement to promote diversity, eliminate discrimination and achieve equality for all. Central to this remit is Section 75 of the Act that requires all public bodies to have "due regard to the need" to promote and sustain equality of opportunity.

The Act establishes nine categories between which equality of opportunity is to be promoted. These are: