'Equality Act 2010: The public sector Equality Duty: Promoting equality through transparency. A consultation'
The Equality Act 2010 received Royal Assent in April 2010. Part of the Act contains the public sector Equality Duty - the Act gives ministers the power to impose specific duties, which are legal requirements designed to help public bodies meet their obligations under the public sector Equality Duty.
The Coalition Government has published its proposals designed to ensure fairness is ‘at the heart of public bodies’ work’ and that public services meet the needs of different groups.
In line with the new Governments’ aim of local democratic accountability driven by transparency and decentralisation, the proposals include requirements for public bodies to set equality outcome objectives and publish a range of equality data relating both to their workforces and to the services they provide.
Next Steps
It is important that organisations are aware of the proposals in the consultation paper and take the opportunity to review processes/cover/services in place in the context of those proposals.
The consultation closes on the 10th November when the Government will then analyse the responses and its response is expected to be published by February 2011.
The general and specific duties are expected to come into force April 2011 and bodies will need to comply with them from this date. Public bodies will not be expected to publish equality objectives and measures of success until a year after the duties have come into force.
The proposals state that the Equality and Human Rights Commission will produce practical guidance 12 weeks before the entry into force of the regulations to explain the requirements of the general and specific duties in more detail and set out what different types and sizes of public bodies need to do to comply (The EHRC will also consult on its draft statutory Code of Practice).
'Equality Act 2010: The public sector Equality Duty: Promoting equality through transparency. A consultation' can be read in full at http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/402461_GEO_EqualityAct2010ThePublicSectorEqualityDuty_acc.pdf
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