About the Commissioner
Eddie Lynch has been the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland since June 2016. Before that, the Commissioner was Claire Keatinge.
Eddie was formerly the CEO of Age Sector Platform. In this role, he was responsible for managing the organisation's staff and supporting the organisation's board, committees and wider membership in its policy development and campaigns work. Eddie joined Age Sector Platform in February 2008 having previously worked at the Consumer Council for five years, where he was Head of Consumer Affairs.
The role of the Commissioner
The role of the Commissioner involves:
- Raising awareness of the interests of older people in Northern Ireland and of the need to safeguard those interests.
- Promoting the provision of opportunities for, and the elimination of discrimination against, older people in Northern Ireland.
- Encouraging best practice in the treatment of older people in Northern Ireland.
- Keeping under review the adequacy and effectiveness of law affecting the interests of older people in Northern Ireland.
- Undertaking investigations into how service providers take account of the rights, interests, and views of older people in the decisions they take and the work they do in relation to devolved matters.
The full powers and duties of the Commissioner are laid out in the Commissioner for Older People Act 2011
