AQW 36452/11-15


Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry


Tabled Date: 24/09/2014
Answered On Date: 08/10/2014
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning for a numerical break-down, by (i) gender; (ii) age; (iii) disability; and (iv) ethnicity, of the Governing Bodies of each Further Education College, including the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise.


Answer:
As part of my Department’s commitment to equality of opportunity, membership of the Governing Bodies of the six further education colleges is monitored in line with the requirements of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
However, Governing Body members are not compelled to provide this information and do so on a voluntary basis. As such, my Department only holds incomplete records in relation to the information requested. The table at Annex A outlines the information held on each further education college Governing Body at 30th September 2014.
Responsibility for oversight of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) belongs to the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development. The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development has advised me that CAFRE does not have a Governing Body.
Governance is provided within the structure of the Department. A College Advisory Group exists to provide advice at a strategic and operational level to the College Director and College Management Team. This group comprises representatives from external stakeholder groups across a number of sectors which are relevant to the work of the College. DARD does not hold Equality Monitoring information about this group; however the gender breakdown is two females and eleven males.
Annex A
COLLEGE
CURRENT NUMBER OF GOVERNORS
GENDER
AGE
 
 
 
 
 
DISABILITY
 
RACE
 
 
 
 
 
UNDER 30
30-39
40-49
50-59
OVER 60
NOT KNOWN
YES
NO
NOT KNOWN
CAUCASIAN
OTHER
NOT KNOWN
Belfast Metropolitan College
18
MALE
13
0
1
1
4
5
2
0
13
0
13
0
0
 
FEMALE
5
1
0
1
3
0
0
0
5
0
5
0
0
 
TOTAL
18
1
1
2
7
5
2
0
18
0
18
0
0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Northern Regional College
17
MALE
11
1
0
2
2
3
3
0
11
0
11
0
0
 
FEMALE
6
0
0
4
0
1
1
0
6
0
5
1
0
 
TOTAL
17
1
0
6
2
4
4
0
17
0
16
1
0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
North West Regional College
15
MALE
11
0
1
1
3
2
4
0
11
0
11
0
0
 
FEMALE
4
0
0
2
0
1
1
0
3
1
4
0
0
 
TOTAL
15
0
1
3
3
3
5
0
14
1
15
0
0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
South Eastern Regional College
16
MALE
12
1
0
2
3
3
3
0
12
0
12
0
0
 
FEMALE
4
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
3
1
4
0
0
 
TOTAL
16
1
0
3
4
3
5
0
15
1
16
0
0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Southern Regional College
18
MALE
11
1
3
0
5
2
0
0
11
0
11
0
0
 
FEMALE
7
0
1
2
0
2
2
0
7
0
7
0
0
 
TOTAL
18
1
4
2
5
4
2
0
18
0
18
0
0
COLLEGE
CURRENT NUMBER OF GOVERNORS
GENDER
AGE
 
 
 
 
 
DISABILITY
 
RACE
 
 
 
 
 
UNDER 30
30-39
40-49
50-59
OVER 60
NOT KNOWN
YES
NO
NOT KNOWN
CAUCASIAN
OTHER
NOT KNOWN
South
West College
18
MALE
14
0
0
2
3
5
4
0
13
1
13
0
1
 
FEMALE
4
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
4
0
4
0
0
 
TOTAL
18
0
0
3
4
6
5
0
17
1
17
0
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OVERALL TOTAL
102
MALE
72
3
5
8
20
20
16
0
71
1
71
0
1
 
 
FEMALE
30
1
1
11
5
5
7
0
28
2
29
1
0
 
 
TOTAL
102
4
6
19
25
25
23
0
99
3
100
1
1