A/HRC/17/34/Add.2 independent expert notes with concern the recent drastic budgetary reductions to, inter alia, the Department of Health and Children, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Education and Skills, Equality Proofing, Disability Projects, and the Community and Voluntary Sector. These reductions have the potential to significantly undermine the effective and efficient functioning of health and education services and the social protection system, all of which are crucial for providing minimum essential levels of enjoyment of human rights, and protecting the rights of the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. 31. The independent expert welcomes the new Government’s commitment to overturning the reduction in the minimum wage. Any reduction in the minimum wage has the potential to have wide-ranging detrimental ramifications for the poorest and most excluded, and thus would be at great risk of constituting a retrogressive measure in violation of human rights. D. Ensuring non-discrimination and equality 32. Ireland must ensure enjoyment of human rights equally and without discrimination of any kind. This is a fundamental pillar of the human rights framework. The scarcity of resources in times of economic hardship is not an acceptable justification for failing to implement the duty of non-discrimination, which must take precedence, both formally and substantively, in all recovery measures. These principles require Ireland to take special and positive measures to protect groups in society that have suffered from structural discrimination and to diminish or eliminate conditions that cause or help to perpetrate discrimination.25 33. In the Irish context, despite a strong body of equality legislation, several groups remain particularly vulnerable to discrimination and exclusion, including single mothers, children, Travellers, persons with disabilities, migrants, asylum-seekers and the homeless. In accordance with the human rights framework, Ireland should be particularly mindful that policies do not exacerbate the situation of such groups, and should take positive measures to help these vulnerable segments regain their equal footing with the rest of the society. 34. A number of recent measures are concerning in this respect, especially reductions in child benefits and benefits for job seekers, carers, single parent families, persons with disabilities and blind persons. The impact of these measures will be exacerbated by funding reductions for a number of social services which are essential for the same vulnerable people, including disability, community and voluntary services, Travellers supports, drug outreach initiatives, rural development schemes, the Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development (RAPID) programme and Youthreach. 35. By adopting these measures, Ireland runs a high risk of excluding those most in need of support and ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable. In particular, due to multiple forms of entrenched discrimination, women are especially vulnerable to the detrimental effects of reductions in social services and benefits. The independent expert notes the commitment in the PGNR to refrain from further reducing social protection benefits,26 but urges the State to take immediate steps to put in place protections to ensure that the situation of the most excluded and disadvantaged groups do not deteriorate further as a result of these measures. 25 26 See for example, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, art. 4.1; International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, art. 2. PGNR, p. 52. 9