ANNUAL EQUALITY STATEMENT

Year end 31 March 2009

The Committee’s Equality Scheme states that the Committee will review both the action taken during the year to promote equality of opportunity and the progress of the implementation of the Equality Scheme.

Our Commitment

The Committee re-affirms its commitment to the fulfillment of its duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 in that it will have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity –

• Between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, martial status or sexual orientation;

• Between men and women generally;

• Between persons with a disability and persons without;

and

• Between persons with dependants and persons without.

In addition, without prejudice to its obligations above, NILGOSC shall, in carrying out its functions, have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

Promotion of Equality of Opportunity

NILGOSC has demonstrated its commitment to the promotion of equality of opportunity during 2008-2009 by its support from the most senior levels of the organisation.

The NILGOSC Corporate Plan for 2008-2009 included objectives relating to Equality and Community Relations. The Committee approved the Plan in March 2008 and the Senior Management Team, on a quarterly basis, has monitored the implementation of objectives.

Implementation of the Equality Scheme

The Equality Scheme was approved by the Equality Commission and published in May 2001. Progress on the implementation of the scheme since then is detailed below:

1. NILGOSC published its annual statements each year since 2001-2002 in the Annual Reports and Financial Statements in October each year. The statements were also reproduced in the Members’ Report, summaries of the Annual Report, and have been distributed to all members and pensioners (over 70,000 copies). The annual statements were also made available on the NILGOSC website.

2. The Good Relations Working Group drafted a Community Relations policy. This was issued to all staff in April 2002, it was screened for impact assessment in June 2002 and approved by the Committee in October 2000. The policy was last reviewed and updated in June 2005.

3. The impact assessment of the Administration of the Local Government Pension Scheme and the Premature Retirement Scheme was completed in June 2002 and published in October 2002. As a result of this assessment:

• A communication leaflet was issued to all Scheme members and pensioners. The leaflet highlighted alternative methods of communication and invited those preferring one of these alternative methods to advise us accordingly. This leaflet continues to be issued to all new Scheme members.

• A survey in 2004 among a sample of 1000 schemes identified that there was a lower uptake of Scheme membership in a certain age grouping. These results have been submitted to the marketing strategy in order than any necessary follow up action is taken. However, the overall conclusion from this survey was that employers had made Scheme membership widely available.

• A feasibility study on the use of a lo-call telephone charging system concluded that such a system would not be introduced until such times as demand dictated.  A free phone number has since been introduced in March 2009. 

4. The impact assessment on the Investment of Contributions was issued for consultation in March 2004. A number of responses were received and have been considered. However completion of the assessment was deferred until the Statement of Investment Principles was reviewed and a separate Socially Responsible Investment Policy prepared. The final report has now been completed and will be published during 2009-10.

5. The impact assessment on the Procurement of Goods and Services was issued for consultation in March 2004. Results of a further consultation exercise specifically with NILGOSC suppliers proved inconclusive. The NILGOSC Purchasing Policy has also been revised and updated since the initial impact assessment. As a result of this EQIA all future and current suppliers are now required to complete a Fair Employment Declaration.

6. The impact assessment on Personnel Policies is still in progress. Following recommendations from an initial consultation exercise personnel policies were revised and updated during the year and were issued for staff consultation. As a result some policies will no longer be included in the impact assessment. Details of this decision will be included in the EQIA which is timetabled for completion by March 2010.

7. Impact assessments on new policies are an on-going aspect of the Equality Scheme. Policies relating to employment, which have been identified for impact assessment, will be included in the EQIA on Personnel Policies. Regulation 108 the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations (NI) 2002

as amended requires employers to publish and keep under review a policy on the discretions it can exercise on certain aspects of the Scheme. NILGSOC issued a Policy Statement on Employer’s Discretions for impact assessment in

December 2007 however this policy has since been revised in light of changes to the pension scheme regulations introduced in April 2009. A final report is therefore timetabled for completion during 2009-10.

8. Progress against the Equality Scheme is communicated on an annual basis to the Equality Commission.

9. Specific training for those managers responsible for the implementation of Equality Scheme has been undertaken as well as those staff who are members of the Customer Care Group. The remaining staff have attended a major conference on Equality and continue to receive training and updates on equality issues through staff conferences and through internal communications. Awareness training is provided for new members through the induction procedure.

10. NILGOSC have not received any complaints regarding equality issues in the 2008-2009 period. One complaint was received in the 2003-2004 period. This was in connection with the provision of death benefits to unmarried couples. The pension legislation did not provide the same death benefits to unmarried couples (either different or same sex couples) as married couples thus meaning the legislation adversely impacts this grouping. NILGOSC made a formal submission to the Department of the Environment regarding this issue. New pension scheme regulations, introduced in April 2009, now provide for a member to nominate a ‘nominated cohabiting partner’ (subject to terms), of either the opposite or same sex, to receive a survivor’s pension.

11. In response to a specific request, NILGOSC supplied a publication in an alternative format during the period 2008-2009.

Those who require further information about the NILGOSC Equality Scheme or would prefer to receive this document in an alternative format (such as in large print, in Braille, on audio cassette, easy read or on computer disc) and/or language, please contact the Equality Officer at:

Address: NILGOSC, Templeton House, 411 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 2LP

Telephone: 0845 308 7345

Typetalk: 18001 0845 308 7345 (for people using a textphone)

Fax: 0845 308 7344

Email: info@nilgosc.org.uk

Copies of the Equality Scheme and this Annual Equality Statement are also available on the Internet at www.nilgosc.org.uk/equality.htm