ANNUAL EQUALITY STATEMENT

Year end 31 March 2002

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 Committment

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 marital status or sexual orientation;

• between men and woman 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 2000/2001 by its support from the most senior levels of the organisation.

This included the personal statement made by the Chairman and Secretary as the foreword to the Equality Scheme, the allocation of all necessary resources to satisfy the s75 duties in the light of competing demands, the personal contribution by the Secretary to staff training, the inclusion of equality issues in the corporate plan, and the adoption of equality issues as normal business considerations.

Implementation of the Equality Scheme

During the year NILGOSC published its Equality Scheme once approved by the Equality Commission in May 2001. It sent copies of the Scheme and a letter of personal commitment of the Chairman and Secretary to over 250 organisations and individuals who had contributed to the consultation process. Public Notices were also placed in 3 newspapers and press releases sent to local and professional publications. A copy of the final scheme was also made available on the NILGOSC website.

NILGOSC published it annual statement for the year 2000-2001 in its Annual Report and Financial Statements in November. The statement was also reproduced in the Members’ Report, a summary of the Annual Report, which was distributed to all members and pensioners (almost 70,000 copies). The annual statement was also made available on the NILGOSC website.

As part of the exercise to ensure meaningful consultation all members and pensioners were asked to join the small Consultative Group set up the previous year. Take-up was disappointing therefore further consideration will be given as to how to encourage membership during 2002-2003.

Following on from the audit it performed in 2000-2001, the Good Relations Working Group drafted a Good Relations policy. It will be screened for impact assessment in 2002-2003.

Also during the year the impact assessment of the Administration of the Local Government Pension Scheme and the Premature Retirement Scheme was commenced. This included an assessment of the methods of communication used and also a review of the mechanisms for monitoring the participation of the 9 affected groups as specified in the Northern Ireland Act. The impact assessment was not completed by March 2002 but should be finalised during 2002-2003.

Specific training for those managers responsible for the implementation of the Equality Scheme was undertaken as well as for staff who are members of the Customer Care Group. There was no awareness training undertaken for the remaining staff in 2001-2002.

NILGOSC did not receive any complaints regarding equality issues in 2001-2002 or any requests for information in alternative formats.