AC(4)2012(1) Paper 2 part 1
Date: Thursday 2
February
Time: 10:30-12:30
Venue: Presiding Officer’s
office
Author name and contact number: Ross Davies, ext 8197
Assembly Commission’s Equality Plan 2012-16
1.1 In line with the Equality Act 2010, the Assembly Commission must publish equality objectives by April 2012. The Equality Team has worked with colleagues across the organisation to develop the attached Equality Plan 2012-16.
1.2 The Plan covers our legal duties in relation to equality, our corporate ethos, roles and responsibilities, our priority objectives, consultation methodology and an action plan. The Assembly has worked hard to embed equality in our work. While many of the actions in the plan are new, others build upon current good practice. The plan is attached as Annex A.
1.3 The Equality Team will be responsible for supporting and monitoring the progress of the actions outlined in the Plan. Services across the organisation will be asked to provide evidence of how they are taking forward actions. This will inform the Annual Equality Report which will be produced each April for scrutiny by the Assembly Commission.
2.1 The Assembly Commission is asked to comment on and agree the Equality Plan 2012-16.
3.1 Throughout October and November 2011, the Equality Team produced surveys and held focus groups in order to gather feedback from Assembly Members, Assembly Member Support Staff, Assembly Commission staff, contracted staff and the public. A number of focus groups were held across Wales with diverse groups. Further details of the consultation work that was undertaken is available in the Plan.
4.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Assembly Commission is a non-devolved public body. This means that as an organisation, we have responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duties set by the UK Government, as opposed to those set by the Welsh Government. However, where we deem it appropriate, such as the duty to produce an Equality Plan, we will act in accordance with the more prescriptive Public Sector Equality Duties set by the Welsh Government.
4.2 It is worth noting that equality issues are also covered within Chapter 9 of the Determination on Members’ Pay and Allowances. The Remuneration Board commissioned the Assembly’s Equality Team to undertake an equality impact screening when the Determination was developed and we would anticipate we will continue to support the Board in this way.
5.1 If the Assembly Commission did not publish an Equality Plan with objectives by April 2012 we would be at risk of non-compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.
5.2 The Assembly would be likely to face reputational risks if a plan were not published by the April deadline.