AQW 5032/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 20/10/2022
Answered On Date: 08/02/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education (i) for a timescale for her Department’s implementation of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act; and (ii) what preparation is being undertaken to ensure the successful implementation of the Act.

Answer:

The Fair Employment (School Teachers) Bill completed its passage through the Assembly on 24 March 2022 and received Royal Assent on 12 May 2022.

Preparations are currently being made for the enactment of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Northern Ireland Act from May 2024.

A cross-sector working group, led by the EA, has been established to scope the operational impact of this change in legislation. The group will ensure that the employing authorities across the education sector are prepared for full compliance with the legal requirements of the Equality Commission Northern Ireland’s Fair Employment Code of Practice.

The Equality Commission has published guidance for schools which may be downloaded from the Commission’s website: School Teachers – A Guide on Recruitment and Selection and a series of training webinars specifically on the recruitment and selection guidance will be delivered.