At a time when many people are questioning the usefulness of the various commissions that are tasked at looking at everything from human rights to youth employment, the Commission for Gender Equality has decided, unprompted, to give them more ammunition.

The ultimate aims of such bodies are in theory noble. Who doesn’t believe in maximising youth employment opportunities or promoting the principle of equality between men and women? They have been less effective in showing that they contribute much to the attainment of those goals...