Government publishes Equality Guide on public sector duties
The Government Equalities Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government have published a guide to help Government departments to meet their obligations under the current race, disability and gender public sector equality duties and prepare for additional duties set out in the Equality Bill.
The guide, entitled Equality Guide, A guide to help government departments meet their public sector duties, provides practical advice on the six key areas through which mainstreaming of equality should be implemented and which can be applied across all the different equality strands, i.e. (i) leadership and accountability; (ii) evidence of measures taken; (iii) performance management; (iv) capability and capacity; (v) stakeholder engagement; and (vi) transparency.
The Guide acknowledges that the Equality Bill 2009 proposes to add to the current three separate equality duties by creating a new single Equality Duty, which will cover age, sexual orientation, and religion and belief as well. The Guide stresses that by embedding the principles set out in the Guide now, departments will be conforming with current good practice and well on the road to preparing for the implementation of the new single Equality Duty.
For each of the six areas, the Guide sets out a “Vision” managers should aspire to, a set of “Mainstreaming Indicators” that can be used to demonstrate progress towards the vision in each department and finally some case studies of how other parts of Government have achieved success in this area.
The Guide concludes with a comprehensive reminder of current statutory responsibilities on equality and of the supervisory and enforcement arrangements in place to ensure full compliance.
Contact us
For more information about the equality and diversity services the Employment Law Group can offer, please contact
Makbool Javaid
Partner
Head of Employment Law
Tel: 020 3206 2745
Mob: 07817 805315
makbool.javaid@smab.co.uk
Ewan Keen
Partner
Tel: 020 3206 2724
Mob: 07870 942622
ewan.keen@smab.co.uk
This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment tribunal and appellate court cases are reported, the information does not set out all of the facts, the legal arguments presented and the judgments made in every aspect of the case. Employment law is subject to constant change either by statute or by interpretation by the courts. While every care has been taken in compiling this information, we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Specialist legal advice must be taken on any legal issues that may arise before embarking upon any formal course of action.
