Backlog at Equal Opportunities Commission: 1 investigating officer working

ONLY one investigating officer is currently out to work at the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) which says it is experiencing a backlog of complaints.

This was revealed at a joint select committee meeting on finance and legal affairs on Friday morning.

In addressing the challenges faced by the commission, its legal director Haran Ramkaransingh said the Equal Opportunities Act is quite limited.

He said the EOC has no difficulty in treating with the complaints that "fall within (their) grounds," but many of the complaints it receives does not.

He said on average, the commission takes around a year "or more, depending on how complex the matter is" to deal with complaints.

Committee member Marvin Gonzales asked if there is currently a backlog at the commission, to which Ramkaransingh said yes.

Admitting that just one investigating officer is currently working, he said the commission is doing its best "until (it gets) an increased complement in staff."

He could not say how many cases were currently part of the backlog as all matters are being dealt with, but "not at the pace we would like it to be attended to."

He later said there are around 15 such cases. In addition, he said, there are around 95 cases at different stages of investigation.

Committee member Saddam Hussein said he noticed that there are two employed investigating officers but that one is on maternity leave. He questioned if the EOC had sufficient staff, especially given that there is a backlog.

Ramkaransingh said the commission gets roughly 120 cases a year. He said previously, there were five investigative officers.

But, "Realistically, I think that might be overstaffing for an institution..."

He said he would like to see the number of investigating officers rise to at least three, which it once was.

Other members of the EOC said the commission faces financial constraints as well but achieves a lot despite this.