Northern Ireland Assembly Commission - Public Authority Statutory Equality and Good Relations Duties: Annual Progress Report 2022-23

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Contact

Section 75 of the NI Act 1998 and Equality Scheme

Name: Maria Bannon
Telephone: 028 90 418377
Email: equality@niassembly.gov.uk

Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and Disability Action Plan As above x

Name: Maria Bannon
Telephone: 028 90 418377
Email: equality@niassembly.gov.uk

View documents published relating to our Equality Scheme.

This report has been prepared using a template circulated by the Equality Commission. It presents our progress in fulfilling our statutory equality and good relations duties, and implementing Equality Scheme commitments and Disability Action Plans. This report reflects progress made between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

PART A – Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Equality Scheme

Section 1: Equality and good relations outcomes, impacts and good practice

1

In 2022-23, please provide examples of key policy/service delivery developments made by the public authority in this reporting period to better promote equality of opportunity and good relations; and the outcomes and improvements achieved. Please relate these to the implementation of your statutory equality and good relations duties and Equality Scheme where appropriate.

1 (a) Corporate Strategy

During this reporting period, the Corporate Strategy 2018-23 and the Corporate Plan 2019-23 were in place.

The Corporate Strategy contains two aims of specific relevance to promoting equality of opportunity and good relations, which are:

Under the aim of “Building excellence and innovation in our services.”

“Ensuring high standards in equality, governance and regulatory compliance through effective and efficient processes.”

Under the aim of “Strengthening engagement with the public.”

“Building connections with target groups including for example, support for greater female participation and the delivery of a Youth Assembly.”

The Corporate Plan 2019-23 provides the detail of key projects and priorities the Assembly Commission intends to deliver over the four years of the plan to underpin the Corporate Strategy 2018-23. View the Corporate Strategy.

In order to command confidence and facilitate compliance with the statutory duties, a number of measures are also in place:

• All equality plans and monitoring reports are tabled at Senior Management Team (SMT) meetings;
• The Equality Scheme, the Audit of Inequalities, the Disability Action Plan and the Good Relations Action Plan are published on the Assembly website;
• Policy screening arrangements are in place, including a protocol for the sign-off of screening forms;
• The screening template is kept under regular review and screening guidance is updated as appropriate;
• Applicable policies (new and revised) submitted to SMT and the Assembly Commission must include a screening form (this is a requirement of the SMT/Assembly Commission cover paper template);
• Policy screening forms, which are published on the Assembly website quarterly and stakeholders are sent a notification email;
• Public consultations are held on action plans, equality impact assessments (EQIAs), etc., in order to engage with the public and seek their views;
• Training on equality issues is incorporated into the staff training schedule; and
• The Clerk/Chief Executive and Directors meet with the Equality Manager on a regular basis to discuss equality issues.

1 (b) Disability Action Plan 2022-25

Disability Action Plan 2022-2025

The Disability Action Plan (DAP) 2022-2025 sets out how the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (“the Assembly Commission”) is fulfilling its statutory obligations under Section 49 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Section 49A of the Act says that the Assembly Commission must:

• promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and
• encourage participation by disabled people in public life.

In accordance with ECNI Guidance (para 3.41-3.44), the Assembly Commission must carry out a review of its DAP every five years and forward a copy to the ECNI. A Draft Report on the Five-Year Review of the Disability Action Plans 2018 – 2023 was approved by SMT on 28 February 2023 for presentation to the next meeting of the Assembly Commission. The review period covered two Assembly Commission Disability Action Plans: the Disability Action Plan 2016-2021; and the current Disability Action Plan 2022-2025.

Implementation of the DAP is monitored formally every six-months with progress reported to and discussed with SMT.
There are 39 actions within the DAP 2022-25, of which 29 are complete. Three actions are recorded as ongoing, four are not complete and three are not yet due to commence.

The four overdue or not complete actions were:

• Arrangement of ‘mystery visitors’ to Parliament Buildings to give feedback on the services and facilities we provide for people with disabilities
  A ‘Mystery Shoppers Questionnaire’ was issued to members of the External Disability Advisory Group (EDAG) in November 2022, for distribution to their user groups. To date, one user group has returned their questionnaire, and the Equality Unit is liaising with EDAG members to encourage the return of completed questionnaires.
• Development of an accessible meeting guide and checklist for Committee meetings
  Implementation of this action has commenced. The guidance and checklist for Committee meetings has been revised by Parliamentary Services (Committee) staff with input from the Equality Manager. The documents will be considered by SMT in the near future and provided to EDAG for review and comment. On final approval, the guidance and checklist will be circulated to all Committee staff. Extensive preparation work has also been completed for delivery of accessible meetings at external locations, on return of full Assembly business.
• Offer autism-friendly tours of Parliament Buildings
• Offer dementia-friendly tours of Parliament Buildings

Completion of these actions by 31 December 2022 was impacted by staffing changes. However, the Assembly Commission’s Events and Engagement Teams have now commenced work to progress these actions. It is intended to deliver pilot autism-friendly and dementia-friendly tours by March 2024.

The DAP and the status of individual actions are provided in Part B of this Report. A summary of current progress is at Table 1 below:

Table 1 – DAP 2022-2025 Status of Actions

Disability training delivered to Assembly Commission staff during the reporting period included:

• ‘Deaf Awareness’ virtual training delivered on 6 April 2022, 16 staff attended.
• ‘Start to Sign’ virtual training delivered on 27 April 2022, attended by 10 staff.
• A classroom based ‘Deafblind Awareness’ workshop delivered to Front of House staff on 27 September 2022, attended by 17 staff.
• ‘British Sign Language Level 1’ course commenced in September 2022, with 14 staff participating.

The Assembly Commission signed up as a JAM (Just A Minute) Card Partner in June 2022. A JAM Card helps people with a learning difficulty, autism or a communication barrier to tell others that they need additional time and patience when they are in busy environments such as shops, restaurants and on public transport. Awareness sessions were delivered to existing staff and will also be provided to new staff in the future.

In December 2022, the Speaker hosted an event at Parliament Buildings to mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The event involved a Question and Answer session with MLAs. Topics discussed included the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, independent living and standards of living.

The Assembly Commission has continued to build and engage with the External Disability Advisory Group (EDAG), which is comprised of representatives from various disability organisations and was first established in November 2009. The group provides advice and input on the development and implementation of the Assembly Commission’s Disability Action Plan and relevant disability issues. Membership of the Group was reviewed in May 2022, including a review of the group’s Terms of Reference. Four representatives from the Disabled People’s Parliament joined the EDAG in June 2022. EDAG meetings were held on 9 June and 7 December 2022.

A refresh of broadcasting facilities in Parliament Buildings commenced in 2022 and will upgrade the audio and video equipment in Committee rooms and the Assembly chamber. This will include enhanced facilities such as microphones and better screens for virtual and audio-visual presentations. The use of sign language was piloted during Assembly Question Time in 2022 and a “green screen” studio will be built as part of the refresh, which will enable future sign language interpretation.

In 2022, the Clerking and Member Support Office, with support from the Public Engagement Office, developed a paper on improving witness diversity, (including those with learning disability and people with a physical disability and carers). This paper was provided to all Statutory and Standing Committees so they can draw on its advice to promote diversity amongst witnesses giving evidence.

Citizen Space (online survey software) has become the primary tool used by Committees to call for evidence. Work started in 2022 on looking at all the different ways that we communicate our ‘calls for evidence’ including how we ensure that the needs of those with disabilities are met. Video conferencing will continue to be used by Committees, enabling a wider range of people, including those with disabilities or accessibility needs, to give evidence to Committees.

There is ongoing work with RNIB to ensure the Assembly Commission’s Public Engagement team can effectively outreach with blind and partially-sighted people. This has included a World Sight Day event held on 13 October 2022 during which feedback on issues was provided, such as the accessibility of Parliament Buildings, the set-up of meeting rooms and the format of effective presentations.

In accordance with the provisions of the Assembly Commission’s Apprenticeship and Placement Framework, the Human Resources Office facilitated the first special work placement in January 2023. The aim of this placement was to provide disabled persons with access to a working environment and ultimately encourage participation by disabled people in the work of the Assembly.

1(c) Good Relations Action Plan 2022-2025

Under section 75(2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Assembly Commission is required to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group. The Good Relations Action Plan (GRAP) sets out how the Assembly Commission proposes to fulfil this duty in relation to the functions for which it is responsible.

The GRAP 2022-2025 is the fourth Good Relations Action Plan that the Assembly Commission has submitted to the ECNI to show how it plans to fulfil the Good Relations duty. View previous GRAPs and six-monthly monitoring reports on the Assembly website.

The GRAP 2022-25 was approved by the Assembly Commission’s SMT in December 2022 and by the Assembly Commission in February 2023. The GRAP 2022-2025 is focused on four key themes:

• Training and Development
• Representation
• Promotion of Good Relations and Dialogue
• Participation and Engagement

Six-monthly progress reports on implementation of the GRAP 2022-2025 will be provided to SMT. As the GRAP 2022-2025 is a “living” document, there is an opportunity to amend the Plan, should this be necessary, during each six-monthly monitoring cycle.

This Annual Report to the Equality Commission represents the first progress review of the GRAP 2022-2025. The GRAP contains 11 actions. Eight of these are complete or ongoing and three are not yet scheduled to commence (Table 2 refers).

Table 2 – GRAP 2022-2025 Status of Actions

1 (d) Gender Action Plan 2019-2023

The Gender Action Plan (GAP) 2019-23 was a continuation of the 2016-18 Gender Action Plan, setting out actions and measures to promote gender equality within the Assembly Commission.

View the GAP 2019-2023.

Progress against targets in the action plan was overseen by the Gender Action Plan Implementation Group, which met regularly and reported on progress to SMT every six months and to the Assembly Commission annually.

View further information on progress reports.

The GAP 2019-23 ended in March 2023. At that time, 13 of the 14 actions within the GAP were fully completed and 1 action was not achieved (Table 3 refers).

Table 3 – Gender Action Plan 2019-23 Closure Report Status (March 2023)

The action not complete at 31 March 2023 related to providing training to staff on transgender issues once a Transgender Policy had been developed. This was to ensure staff were trained and equipped with knowledge to manage transgender issues in the workplace in accordance with the Assembly Commission Policy. Work is underway by the Human Resources Office to identify and provide appropriate training.

Actions of particular note in the GAP 2019-2023 included Action 1, which focused on examining the gender balance of people presenting papers to SMT and the Assembly Commission. As a result, it is now practice for Heads of Business to invite team members involved in working on specific projects/papers to appear with them when presenting at SMT meetings.

Action 7 concerned the development, in consultation with staff and Trade Union Side, of a Menopause Policy. The Policy was published in March 2023, and will be supported by training for staff and managers.

Action 9 was the development of a Transgender Policy and separate draft Guidance on Assisting and Supporting Transgender Visitors to Parliament Buildings. The Transgender Policy was developed in consultation with staff and Trade Union Side. The initial consultation was completed in October 2021. As there were no known transgender staff within the organisation, views on the draft Policy, from a staff perspective, were sought from a small number of relevant external groups. Following changes to the proposed scope of the Policy, further internal consultation took place at the end of 2022. The Transgender Policy was approved in February 2023 and was issued to staff. In compliance with the Assembly Commission’s Equality Scheme, the draft Guidance on Assisting and Supporting Transgender Visitors to Parliament Buildings is being consulted on with relevant external groups.

It was noted that work on the preparation of the Audit of Inequalities 2022-2026 had not identified concerns relating to gender issues. The Assembly Commission’s SMT therefore agreed that, as sufficient progress had been achieved through the GAP 2019-2023 and the preceding GAP 2016-2018, a further specific GAP was not required at this time, but that gender issues should continue to be monitored and addressed through the Assembly Commission’s equality plans. SMT approved a GAP 2019-2023 Closure Report on 23 March 2023, for presentation to the Assembly Commission. Following consideration by the Assembly Commission, the Closure Report will be published on the website.

1 (e) Audit of Inequalities 2022-2026

The purpose of an audit of inequalities (AoI) is to provide a strategic picture of inequalities relevant to the role and functions of an organisation. This audit informs the development of an AoI Action Plan, which aims to address inequalities and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations.

The AoI 2022-2026 and Action Plan were approved by SMT in December 2022 and by the Assembly Commission in February 2023. The Action Plan contains 8 actions intended to increase representation of Section 75 groups. These actions will be implemented by the Human Resources Office over the lifetime of the Plan.

View the AoI Action Plan 2022-26.

Six-monthly progress reports on implementation of the AoI Action Plan will be provided to SMT. This Annual Report to the Equality Commission represents the first progress review of the Action Plan and seven actions are complete for the reporting period and one is not yet due (Table 4 refers).

Table 4 – AoI Action Plan Summary of Progress March 2023

1(f) Speaker's Events

As well as the ongoing engagement with the Youth Assembly and the Assembly’s Education Service, during this reporting period, the Speaker hosted and attended a range of events and initiatives, for example:

Thursday 9 June 2022 – The Speaker gave an opening address at a Disability Employment Showcase in Parliament Buildings. This showcase was coordinated by Disability Action and included the participation of a number of exhibitors.

Thursday 22 September 2022 – The Speaker gave an opening address at a virtual event held in partnership with Stronger Together during Good Relations Week. The event was an initial step to work on plans to develop the first Ethnic Minority Parliament.

Tuesday 11 October 2022 – The Speaker gave an opening address at an event to mark World Sight Day in Parliament Buildings. The event invited representatives from the blind and partially sighted community to work with Assembly staff to co-design an engagement presentation on the work of the Assembly to the wider community.

Friday 25 November 2022 – The Speaker gave an opening address at a Professional Learning Event in Parliament Buildings for teachers from Special Educational Needs schools in Parliament Buildings.

Friday 3 December 2021 – To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Speaker hosted a ‘Meet the MLAs’ panel, with participants raising issues of concern to those with disabilities in the Senate Chamber.

Monday 12 December 2022 – The Speaker gave an opening address at the launch of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Annual statement in Parliament Buildings.

Wednesday 8 March 2023 – To mark International Women’s Day, the Speaker hosted an event in Parliament Buildings in which he invited all women MLAs elected to the Assembly since 1998.

Thursday 9 March 2023 – The Speaker hosted an event to mark Seachtain na Gaelige (Irish Language Week) at which officials from the interpretation team in the Official Report provided a presentation to MLAs and Assembly staff on local Irish phrases and place names.

Friday 16 March 2023 – The Speaker gave an opening address at a Professional Learning Event in Parliament Buildings for teachers from mainstream schools who provide support to students with Special Educational Needs.

Thursday 23 March 2023 - To mark the Marie Curie International Day of Reflection, Deputy Speaker McGlone led the Assembly in observing a minute's silence to remember loved ones who have died, support everyone grieving and allow people to connect with each other.

1 (g) Education Service

The role of the Assembly’s Education Programme is broadly to support young people’s understanding of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the democratic process. During the reporting period, the Education Service (ES) delivered a programme of visits in Parliament Buildings and online sessions. A range of groups participated, including schools from all sectors (primary, secondary, maintained and controlled, voluntary grammar, special, integrated and Irish medium); universities; general youth groups; and teachers. In total, the programme was delivered to 237 groups and almost 8,000 participants. The figures for schools, FE Colleges and universities are 193 groups with over 6,000 students. School groups account for 76% of groups and 79% of participants. (See Annex 1 for figures by school type.)

All areas of delivery are designed to raise awareness and understanding of the work of the Assembly through relevant educational curriculum streams and to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process. Attendees on the programme include mainstream schools, special schools, shared education groups, school councils and eco-councils. MLAs continue to participate in the education programme, both in the building and in the online programme. During the reporting period, MLAs participated in 174 Q & A sessions.

In addition to the standard education programme, other activities included:

• 2 events for teachers working with children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) – one for special schools (25 November 2022) and one for Learning Support Coordinators within primary schools (16 March 2023);
• The annual YMCA ‘Youth in Government’ debating event (with the Speaker taking the Chair for part of the debate) involved 31 young people from schools across Belfast, and from Cookstown and Portglenone;
• several ‘Politics in Action’ events, involving cross-community and cross-border schools meeting with MLAs for Q & A sessions;
• working with Assembly Building Services to run a competition for primary school pupils to design an eco-bag;
• hosting 4 final year students from Stranmillis University on a 2 week ‘Alternative Placement’ programme 16 -27 Jan 2023;
• collaborating with the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and Ulster University (UU) to provide a training and information day for History PGCE students on 6 February in Parliament Buildings;
• On 20 April 2023, 60 students from five post primary schools representing maintained, controlled and integrated sectors, plus students from the College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) participated in an event in the Long Gallery to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Students viewed and discussed the ‘Silent Testimony’ exhibition with artist Colin Davidson and put questions about the Agreement to MLAs from 5 political parties.

The Education Service continues to offer its regular programme through the medium of Irish and to develop online educational support for Irish Medium schools. Two Irish medium groups availed of this service during the reporting period.

Promotion of the Programme

Schools are informed about the education programme via a postal mailshot at the start of every academic year. Schools also receive electronic information via C2K. The Education Service also uses Twitter to publicise participating in the programme.

Resources

The Education Service renewed its partnership with CCEA to maintain and develop our website for a further 5 years, until March 2027. Key objectives for this partnership include making the site more inclusive and accessible. The website was transferred to a new platform, which has improved its accessibility on all devices.

An Animation on ‘Agreements after 1998’ to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement has been produced and a further on animation on “Brexit and Northern Ireland” will be published shortly. All new animations are subtitled and signed, with transcripts also available.

The Education Service has produced a new “post visit” workbook for Key Stage 2 (primary) pupils and is currently procuring a new sensory toy, a model of Parliament Buildings, for use with children and young people from special schools.

Disability

Conferences were held in November 2022 and March 2023, for teachers from special schools and learning support coordinators from mainstream primary schools. The purpose of these was (i) to promote the education programme and (ii) to seek expert views on how to improve our service for children and young people with special needs. Following these conferences, there has been an increase in educational visits by special schools. The Education Service is also engaging with other the other legislators in order to further develop our service.

1 (h) Engagement & Outreach

The Engagement Office is responsible for advancing and encouraging the public's awareness and understanding of the Assembly. It provides the business, community, voluntary sector and delegations from across the world with the opportunity to engage with and learn more about the legislature.

The Engagement Office has provided free training programmes, information and support to a wide range of section 75 groups during this reporting period. These groups have included organisations that support people with disabilities, older people, women, and the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community.

During the reporting period, 19 presentations and training programmes were delivered to 800 people and events, where appropriate, were co-designed with relevant third parties, including the Disabled People's event and the Women's Network event.

The Engagement Office is currently developing a plan to support and celebrate a range of cultural events, to increase engagement by Section 75 groups with the Assembly.

1(i) Communications Office

The Communications Office provides information about the work of the Assembly with the media, public, government departments, and other key stakeholders. It has a team of communications professionals who focus on the Northern Ireland Assembly website, digital communications, social media and broadcasting.

The Communications Office has continued to review website content to ensure that it is as accessible to as many people as possible and has continued to monitor the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 making mitigations where possible and if this is not the case, advising users of alternative formats. All staff involved in web publishing have been provided with training on how to create more accessible content and extensive user guides have been published alongside training sessions for users.

The Communications Office provides additional personal screens for Members who require assistance with lip reading, to enable participation in Committee meetings where witnesses and other Members are participating remotely. The audio from all virtual meetings has been incorporated into our induction loops to allow Members and Witnesses attending in person to be able to better participate in meetings.

Work has commenced to upgrade audio and video equipment in Committee Rooms and the Assembly Chamber, including new microphones and better screens for virtual and audio-visual presentations. The use of sign language and subtitling for Questions to the Executive Office Ministers in Plenary meetings has also been introduced for broadcast. It is anticipated that these services will expand to other types of business and procedural output over the next period.

1 (j) Northern Ireland Youth Assembly

The Education Service is responsible for the delivery of the Assembly Commission-supported Northern Ireland Youth Assembly. The Youth Assembly’s primary function is to give young people a voice and allow and encourage them to participate directly in the work of the Northern Ireland Assembly and its Committees.

The Youth Assembly was established in June 2021, comprising 90 members aged between 13 and 17 years old, appointed for a two-year period. The recruitment process appointed a fully inclusive and representative cohort of members, including nine young people with disabilities.

The Education Service has continued to support Youth Assembly Members at formal meetings/events and by holding monthly online drop-in sessions that provide an opportunity for informal catch-up and interaction. Youth Assembly activities during the period of the Annual Progress Report are set out below.

2 Please provide examples of outcomes and/or the impact of equality action plans/ measures in 2022-23 (or append the plan with progress/examples identified).

1. The Good Relations Action Plan 2022-2025 was approved by the Assembly Commission in February 2023 and an update is prepared every six months. Good Relations Action Plan updates are available on the Assembly website.
2. An update on the Disability Action Plan 2022-25 is available at Part B of this Annual Progress Report.
3. The Audit of Inequalities Action Plan 2022-2026 was approved by the Assembly Commission in February 2023 and an update is prepared every six months. Audit of Inequalities Action Plan updates are available on the Assembly website.
4. The Gender Action Plan (GAP) 2019-23 was a continuation of the 2016-18 Gender Action Plan, setting out actions and measures to promote gender equality within the Assembly Commission. The GAP ended on 31 March 2023 and the Closure Report may be found on the Assembly website.

3 Has the application of the Equality Scheme commitments resulted in any changes to policy, practice, procedures and/or service delivery areas during the 2022-23 reporting period? (select one option only)

Options:

• Yes
• No (go to Q.4)
• Not applicable (go to Q.4)

Option selected: No (go to Q.4)

Please provide any details and examples: see 3a below

3a With regard to the change(s) made to policies, practices or procedures and/or service delivery areas, what difference was made, or will be made, for individuals, i.e. the impact on those according to Section 75 category?

Please provide any details and examples: Not applicable.

3b What aspect of the Equality Scheme prompted or led to the change(s)? (tick all that apply)

Options:

• As a result of the organisation’s screening of a policy (please give details):
• As a result of what was identified through the EQIA and consultation exercise (please give details):
• As a result of analysis from monitoring the impact (please give details):
• As a result of changes to access to information and services (please specify and give details):
• Other (please specify and give details)

Option selected: Other (please specify and give details)

Specify and give details: Not applicable.

Section 2: Progress on Equality Scheme commitments and action plans/measures

Arrangements for assessing compliance (Model Equality Scheme Chapter 2)

4 Were the Section 75 statutory duties integrated within job descriptions during the 2022-23 reporting period? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes, organisation wide
• Yes, some departments/jobs
• No, this is not an Equality Scheme commitment
• No, this is scheduled for later in the Equality Scheme, or has already been done
• Not applicable

Option selected: Yes, organisation wide

Please provide any details and examples: Job descriptions within the Assembly Commission are generic in nature and may not make specific reference to Section 75. However, the list of duties reflects compliance with the Assembly Commission policies which inherently include Section 75 duties.

5 Were the Section 75 statutory duties integrated within performance plans during the 2022-23 reporting period? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes, organisation wide
• Yes, some departments/jobs
• No, this is not an Equality Scheme commitment
• No, this is scheduled for later in the Equality Scheme, or has already been done
• Not applicable

Option selected: Yes, organisation wide

Please provide any details and examples: The approach to performance management assesses performance in relation to the work carried out by staff and also in relation to the Assembly Commission’s Skills and Behaviours Framework. Within the context of the Framework, staff are required to promote a positive and productive working environment; foster an environment where staff feel respected and valued; and uphold the goals of professionalism, respect, impartiality and integrity as set out in the Corporate Strategy 2018-2023.

6 In the 2022-23 reporting period were objectives/ targets/ performance measures relating to the Section 75 statutory duties integrated into corporate plans, strategic planning and/or operational business plans? (tick all that apply)

Options:

• Yes, through the work to prepare or develop the new corporate plan
• Yes, through organisation wide annual business planning
• Yes, in some departments/jobs
• No, these are already mainstreamed through the organisation’s ongoing corporate plan
• No, the organisation’s planning cycle does not coincide with this report
• Not applicable

Optoins selected: Yes, through organisation wide annual business planning

Please provide any details and examples: The Corporate Strategy for 2018-2023 commits staff to demonstrating: professionalism in everything we do; respect for each other, Members and the public; and impartiality and integrity in all our work. Within the ‘Building Excellence and Innovation in our Services’ element of the strategy, the Assembly Commission commits to ensuring high standards in equality, governance and regulatory compliance through effective and efficient processes.

The Assembly Commission also has a Behaviour Code in place which reminds those working in or visiting Parliament Buildings on how they should be treated and how they should treat others. Six behaviours are promoted:

1. Show respect to and value everyone. Bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct will not be tolerated;
2. Be aware of your power, influence and authority and don’t abuse them;
3. Think about how your behavior affects others and always strive to understand their perspective;
4. Act professionally towards others;
5. Speak up about any unacceptable behaviour that you experience; and
6. Display the highest ethical standards of integrity, courtesy and mutual respect.

Equality action plans/measures (Audit of Inequalities Action Plan and Gender Action Plan)

7

Within the 2022-23 reporting period, please indicate the number of:

Actions completed: 20 (complete for reporting period)

Actions Ongoing: 1

Actions to Commence: 1

8

Please give details of changes or amendments made to the equality action plan/measures during the 2022-23 reporting period (points not identified in an appended plan):

Not applicable – the Audit of Inequalities Action Plan 2022-2026 is a new action plan.

9

In reviewing progress on the equality action plan/action measures during the 2022-23 reporting period, the following have been identified: (tick all that apply)

Options:

• Continuing action(s), to progress the next stage addressing the known inequality
• Action(s) to address the known inequality in a different way
• Action(s) to address newly identified inequalities/recently prioritised inequalities
• Measures to address a prioritised inequality have been completed

Option selected: Continuing action(s), to progress the next stage addressing the known inequality

Arrangements for consulting (Model Equality Scheme Chapter 3)

10

Following the initial notification of consultations, a targeted approach was taken – and consultation with those for whom the issue was of particular relevance: (tick one box only)

Options:

• All the time
• Sometimes
• Never

Option selected: Sometimes

11

Please provide any details and examples of good practice in consultation during the 2022-23 reporting period, on matters relevant (e.g. the development of a policy that has been screened in) to the need to promote equality of opportunity and/or the desirability of promoting good relations:

The Assembly Commission’s draft Equality Scheme, Audit of Inequalities Report and Action Plan and Good Relations Action Plan were subject to public consultation during the period of the Annual Progress Report. The public consultation used a range of methods including emails to consultees; press advertisements; a web-based survey using Citizen Space; postmaster emails to Assembly Commission staff; Twitter; and Facebook posts. This followed a pre-consultation exercise in 2021 that included NIPSA Trade Union; the Northern Ireland Civil Service; and specific Section 75 Groups including ethnic minority groups in Northern Ireland. In total, 25 consultation responses were received and considered. These did not lead to substantive changes to the documents.

Formal consultation with staff and the Trade Union Side was undertaken on the draft Menopause Guidance for Staff and Managers and Transgender Policy. The draft Policy on Assisting and Supporting Transgender Visitors and other users of Parliament Buildings has also been subject to external consultation with relevant groups.

12

In the 2022-23 reporting period, given the consultation methods offered, which consultation methods were most frequently used by consultees: (tick all that apply)

Options:

• Face to face meetings
• Focus groups
• Written documents with the opportunity to comment in writing
• Questionnaires
• Information/notification by email with an opportunity to opt in/out of the consultation
• Internet discussions
• Telephone consultations
• Other (please specify)

Options selected:

• Written documents with the opportunity to comment in writing
• Questionnaires
• Information/notification by email with an opportunity to opt in/out of the consultation
• Internet discussions

Please provide any details or examples of the uptake of these methods of consultation in relation to the consultees’ membership of particular Section 75 categories: Q11 above refers. The Assembly Commission’s draft Equality Scheme, Audit of Inequalities Report and Action Plan and Good Relations Action Plan were subject to public consultation during the period of the Annual Progress Report. The public consultation used a range of methods including emails to consultees; press advertisements; a web-based survey using Citizen Space; postmaster emails to Assembly Commission staff; Twitter; and Facebook posts. This followed a pre-consultation exercise in 2021 that included NIPSA Trade Union; the Northern Ireland Civil Service; and specific Section 75 Groups including ethnic minority groups in Northern Ireland.

13

Were any awareness-raising activities for consultees undertaken, on the commitments in the Equality Scheme, during the 2022-23 reporting period? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable

Option selected: Yes

14

Was the consultation list reviewed during the 2022-23 reporting period? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable – no commitment to review

Option selected: Yes

Arrangements for assessing and consulting on the likely impact of policies (Model Equality Scheme Chapter 4)

Please see relevant links below:

• Northern Ireland Assembly Equality Screening and Equality Impact Assessments
• Northern Ireland Assembly Equality Policies

15

Please provide the number of policies screened during the year (as recorded in screening reports): 6

16

Please provide the number of assessments that were consulted upon during 2022-23: 

Policy consultations conducted with screening assessment presented - 6

Policy consultations conducted with an equality impact assessment (EQIA) presented - N/A

Consultations for an EQIA alone - N/A

17

Please provide details of the main consultations conducted on an assessment (as described above) or other matters relevant to the Section 75 duties:

Consultation was noted as related to the six equality screening forms for the reporting period. No issues were raised as regards differential impact on the section 75 categories. The six policy consultations were as follows:

1. Assembly Commission Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Policy (Revised)
2. Special Leave Policy
3. Career Break Policy
4. Secondment Policy
5. Sign Language Interpretation of Plenary and Committee Business
6. Menopause Guidance for Staff and Managers

18

Were any screening decisions (or equivalent initial assessments of relevance) reviewed following concerns raised by consultees? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes
• No concerns were raised
• No
• Not applicable

Option selected: No concerns were raised

Please provide any details and examples: N/A

Arrangements for publishing the results of assessments (Model Equality Scheme Chapter 4)

19

Following decisions on a policy, were the results of any EQIAs published during the 2022-23 reporting period? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable

Option selected: Not applicable

Please provide any details and examples: N/A

Arrangements for monitoring and publishing the results of monitoring (Model Equality Scheme Chapter 4)

20

From the Equality Scheme monitoring arrangements, was there an audit of existing information systems during the 2022-23 reporting period? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes
• No, already taken place
• No, scheduled to take place at a later date 0
• Not applicable

Option selected: No, already taken place

Please provide any details: N/A

21

In analysing monitoring information gathered, was any action taken to change/review any policies? (tick one box only)

Options:

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable

Option selected: No

Please provide any details and examples: N/A

22

Please provide any details or examples of where the monitoring of policies, during the 2022-23 reporting period, has shown changes to differential/adverse impacts previously assessed:

Not applicable

23

Please provide any details or examples of monitoring that has contributed to the availability of equality and good relations information/data for service delivery planning or policy development:

Monitoring arrangements are built into our equality action plans. For example, six-monthly progress updates on the Gender Action Plan, Disability Action Plan, Audit of Inequalities and the Good Relations Action Plan are provided to SMT. Monitoring is also carried out informally on an on-going basis. In addition, information arising from monitoring is considered when reviewing service delivery, existing action plans and when developing policies.

An example regarding service delivery planning is provided below:

The Education Service

The Education Service continues to work towards increasing the number of young people with disabilities participating in the Assembly’s education programme. It hosted two events this year for teachers from special schools (November 2022) and Learning Support Coordinators from mainstream primary schools (March 2023). The purpose of these events was to inform teachers about the education programme and to ask for their expert advice on how to improve the service. The number of bookings by special schools for visits to Parliament Buildings increased following these events. An analysis of feedback was completed and the Education Service is working on the development of a new activity for special schools. The Education Service has asked its website partner, CCEA, to improve digital accessibility. The availability of accessibility tools will be highlighted and one of the new tools will be ‘read aloud’ software. The Education Service liaised with education services in the other legislatures and shadowed delivery of a new, online SEND programme. The Education Service promotes its programmes by sending a letter to special schools at the start of every academic year, offering a bespoke service. Education Officers contact teachers prior to a visit to discuss the specific requirements for the class.

Staff Training (Model Equality Scheme Chapter 5)

24

Please report on the activities from the training plan/programme (section 5.4 of the Model Equality Scheme) undertaken during 2022-23, and the extent to which they met the training objectives in the Equality Scheme.

A list of relevant learning and development activities attended by staff during the reporting period is provided in the table below:

A list of relevant learning and development activities launched and completed on external platforms for the reporting period is provided below:

The Learning and Development Team has liaised with the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales to host a range of shared inter-parliamentary virtual events as part of ‘Learning at Work Week’ and ‘National Inclusion Week’ which had an equality dimension, these included:

National ‘Learning at Work’ Week 2022 – Virtual Events (May)

National Inclusion Week 2022

25

Please provide any examples of relevant training shown to have worked well, in that participants have achieved the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve the stated objectives.

The Learning and Development team have changed the evaluation model to utilise survey monkey and a star rating system (1-5) to gain further insight from staff in relation to achieved learning objectives. Evaluation feedback included very positive comments on learning events, including the Transgender Awareness Seminar in December 2022 and National Inclusion Week LGBTQ+ session in September 2022. Evaluation information on learning and development events is conveyed to senior management and can support the business case to re-run events which have been of particular benefit to staff.

26

Please list any examples of where monitoring during 2022-23, across all functions, has resulted in action and improvement in relation to access to information and services:

Examples regarding access to information and services are provided below:

• The Communications Office has continued to review website content to ensure that it is as accessible to as many people as possible and has continued to monitor the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 making mitigations where possible and if this is not the case, advising users of alternative formats. All staff involved in web publishing have been provided with training on how to create more accessible content and extensive user guides have been published alongside training sessions for users.
• During the reporting period, the Engagement and Outreach Team delivered 19 presentations and training programmes to 800 people and events, where appropriate, were co-designed with relevant third parties, including the Disabled People’s event and the Women’s Network event.
• The Education Service renewed its partnership with CCEA to maintain and develop our website for a further 5 years, until March 2027. Key objectives for this partnership include making the site more inclusive and accessible. The website was transferred to a new platform, which has improved its accessibility on all devices.

The Assembly Commission’s Complaints Policy (addressing access to services)

The Assembly Commission’s Complaints Policy has remained in place making it easy for members of the public to notify the Assembly regarding any complaint relating to the delivery of services by Assembly staff and/or perceived failures in complying with the Assembly’s Equality Scheme. There is a Complaints Officer to deal with issues raised by the public and to log complaints on a Complaints Register.

SMT receives reports from the Complaints Officer including data on the nature and volume of complaints received. These reports are published on the Assembly website, in line with our Publication Scheme.

The Assembly Commission also receives an annual summary report detailing the numbers and categories of complaints received in the previous year. The report will include any improvements made to the policy or procedures.

View the Complaints Policy and Procedure.

As discussed at Section 1(b) above, examples are provided which aim to further improve public access to information and services, this also includes:

1. The provision of access information
2. An accessibility webpage
3. An ‘Autism and the Assembly’ webpage
4. Continuation of physical works to Parliament Buildings to improve access
5. Maintenance of signage and access items used by the public, for example, the changing places room, a braille tour map.

Complaints (Model Equality Scheme Chapter 8)

27 How many complaints in relation to the Equality Scheme have been received during 2022-23?

Number of complaints received: 0

Please provide any details of each complaint raised and outcome: N/A

Section 3: Looking Forward

28

Please indicate when the Equality Scheme is due for review:

The Equality Scheme 2022-2026 has been approved.

View the Equality Scheme 2022 - 2026.

29

Are there areas of the Equality Scheme arrangements (screening/consultation/training) your organisation anticipates will be focused upon in the next reporting period? (please provide details)

During the next reporting period we will continue to implement the actions in our Audit of Inequalities, Disability and Good Relations Action Plans. Areas on which we will focus over the next reporting period will include:

• consultation with the External Disability Advisory Group on the accessible meetings guidance and a checklist for committee staff;
• development and delivery of autism-friendly and dementia friendly tours of Parliament Buildings;
• identification and implementation of a good relations e-learning package for staff; and
• establishment of the external Ethnic minority Stakeholder group.

30

In relation to the advice and services that the Assembly Commission offers, what equality and good relations priorities are anticipated over the next (2023-24) reporting period? (please tick any that apply)

Options:

• Employment
• Goods, facilities and services
• Legislative changes
• Organisational changes/ new functions
• Nothing specific, more of the same
• Other (please state):

Option selected: Nothing specific, more of the same

PART B - Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended) and Disability Action Plans

The Disability Action Plan 2022-2025 is provided at Annex B and may be found on the Assembly website.

View the Disability Action Plan 2022-2025.

1. Number of action measures for this reporting period that have been: (40 action measures in total)

Fully achieved: 29

Partially achieved: 3

Not achieved: 4

Not due yet: 3

2. Please outline below details on all actions that have been fully achieved, partly achieved, not achieved, not due yet in the reporting period.

2 (a) Please highlight what public life measures have been achieved to encourage disabled people to participate in public life at National, Regional and Local levels:

2(c) What Positive attitudes action measures in the area of Communications, Consultation and Engagement were achieved in this reporting period?

2 (d) What action measures were achieved to 'encourage others' to promote the two duties (Structural changes to increase participation and accessibility)

2 (d) What action measures were achieved to 'encourage others' to promote the two duties (Awards and Accreditation)

2 (d) What action measures were achieved to 'encourage others' to promote the two duties Monitoring and Reporting

5. What monitoring tools have been put in place to evaluate the degree to which actions have been effective / develop new opportunities for action?

(a) Qualitative

Use of questionnaires, interviews, action plan review and feedback systems.

(b) Quantitative

Screening and EQIA processes.

6. As a result of monitoring progress against actions has your organisation either:

• made any revisions to your plan during the reporting period or

• taken any additional steps to meet the disability duties which were not outlined in your original disability action plan / any other changes?

Minor revisions have been made to the Plan, as set out below:

7. Do you intend to make any further revisions to your plan in light of your organisation's annual review of the plan? If so, please outline proposed changes?

No.

Annex 1

Schools participating in the education programme 2022-2023 (1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023)