§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Equality Commission is modelling future good practice for the new Government departments in Northern Ireland by including those directly affected by its decisions in its consultations.[73737]
§ Mr. Paul Murphy[holding answer 2 March 1999]: The Equality Commission has not yet been established, however paragraph 4(3)(a) of Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 gives the Commission the authority to issue guidelines on the form and content of equality schemes.
It will be for the Commission, when it is formed, to decide on the extent of any consultation on those guidelines. Equality schemes will include details of each public authority's arrangements for consulting on matters to which a duty under section 75 of the Act is likely to be relevant.