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.
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.
NILGOSC
has demonstrated
its commitment to the promotion of equality of opportunity during
2009-2010 by
its support from the most senior levels of the organisation.
The
NILGOSC Corporate Plan
for 2009-2010 included objectives relating to Equality and Community
Relations. The
Committee approved the
Plan in March 2009 and the Senior Management Team, on a quarterly
basis, has
monitored the implementation of objectives.
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 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 2002. 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:
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 2010-11.
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.
Impact Assessments have been completed on the majority
policies and the
exercise is timetabled for completion by March 2011.
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 timetabled for completion during 2010-11.
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
Staff
have attended a 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 2009-2010 period. The last equality related complaint was made in
2003-04
and was addressed through changes made to the regulations in 2009.
11. In response to specific
requests,
NILGOSC has supplied publications in alternative formats during the
period 2009-2010.
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