AQW 26496/17-22

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 26/11/2021
Answered On Date: 25/01/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities what discussions she has had with Executive colleagues concerning updating equality legislation, such as the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998, to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Answer:

My Department is leading on the development of the Executive’s new LGBTQI+ Strategy. The Sexual Orientation Strategy Expert Advisory Panel Report contained a recommendation to address gaps and weaknesses in legal protections for LGBTQI+ people here. The Panel’s recommendations are under consideration as part of the ongoing co-design of the Strategy. While primary policy considerations on legislative changes in respect of LGBTQI+ equality will be led by my Department, amendments to specific pieces of legislation would fall to responsible departments.