AQW 5908/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 27/07/2020
Answered On Date: 30/07/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether he intends to use Section 75 monitoring to enable inclusion by publishing the proactive approaches taken to promote equity rather than publishing Equality Monitoring information that confirm discrimination has not happened.

Answer:

DAERA is fully committed to fulfilling its Section 75 duties in relation to its relevant functions. Our Equality Scheme is designed to ensure this. In compliance with our Section 75 duties, our Equality Scheme and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) requirements, we publish all Equality Screening forms on a quarterly basis, as well as our Annual Progress Report to ECNI on an annual basis.

Our progress reports set out a wide range of projects that have been set up for the various groups and individuals within NI. I attach a link to these annual reports as an example of the work that my Department is doing to assist in ensuring that an equal and equitable society exists: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/annual-progress-reports-equality-commission-daera