New disability duties were introduced in January 2007 for public authorities.   The Equality Commission for NI provided the following information for public authorities at a seminar on 17 January 2007.

Disability Duties for Public Authorities introduced January 2007

1st Duty – Mainstreaming Duty

Public authorities must, when carrying out their functions, have due regard to the need to:

• promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and

• encourage the participation by disabled people in public life (‘the disability duties').

2nd Duty – Duty to produce an Action Plan 

•  Public authorities subject to the disability duties must prepare and submit to the Commission a plan (‘disability action plan') showing how they propose to fulfil the disability duties;

•  Must be submitted to Commission;

•  Reviewed every 5 years (same time as review of equality scheme);

•  Commission recommending annual progress report.

Timescale

•  Duties take effect on 1 January 2007;

•  Public authorities (subject to duties as at 1 January) must submit plans by 30 June 2007;

•  Public authorities (subject to duties after 1 January) must submit plans within 6 months of request;

•  Includes 2 month consultation period before submission.

Disability Action Plan – what must be included?

•  Introductory statement;

•  Consultation statement;

•  Measures;

•  Timescale for measures;

•  Performance indicators/targets;

•  Details of how plan is to be published.

Suggested Measures

Encouraging participation in public life: 

•  Encourage disabled people to apply for positions;

•  Remove barriers to selection process;

•  Remove barriers to their participation in public life positions;

•  Create opportunities for involving disabled people in public life positions;

•  Encourage others to promote their participation in public life.

Promoting positive attitudes:

•  Reviewing external or internal communication policies;

•  Recognising and valuing the contribution of disabled employees and office holders;

•  Establish a complaint/feedback mechanism;

•  Awareness raising campaigns/events which encourage positive interaction between disabled /non disabled people;

•  Encourage others to promote positive attitudes.

Performance Indicators/Monitoring

Performance Indicators:

•  Plan becomes outcome focused;

•  Small scale targets;

•  Wider scale indicators.

Monitoring Procedures:

•  Qualitative;

•  Quantitative.

Enforcement 

•  Report to Assembly if:

•  failure to submit plan within timescale;

•  failure to submit revised plan within 3 months of request by ECNI;

•  failure of revised plan to conform to Guidelines.

•  Judicial Review;

•  Breach of equality scheme.