HL Deb 18 July 2002 vol 637 cc169-70WA
Baroness Thomas of Walliswood

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In respect of the Home Office, the Department for Education and Skills, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Scotland Office and the Northern Ireland Office, which women's organisations have been consulted over proposed legislation by each department during the 2000–01 and 2001–02 Sessions; and whether their responses have been published. [HL4451]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Filkin)

This information is not held centrally within government departments and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments are however encouraged to follow the Cabinet Office's Code of Practice on Written Consultations, which is intended to make consultations more effective by opening up decision-making to as wide a range of people and organisations as possible.

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In respect of the Home Office, the Department for Education and Skills, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Scotland Office and the Northern Ireland Office, what was the subject of each gender impact assessment drawn up by each department since June 1997; and, in each case, whether the outcome has been put out to consultation or published. [HL4452]

Lord Filkin

Details regarding gender impact assessments are not generally held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In respect of the Home Office, the Department for Education and Skills, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Scotland Office and the Northern Ireland Office, whether each Secretary of State has established a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment; and what progress has been achieved. [HL4454]

Lord Filkin

In 1998, the Home Office, the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) and the Cabinet Office Women's Unit issuedPolicy Appraisal for Equal Treatment (PAFET) guidelines to all government departments. PAFET covers the responsibility officials have for assessing how their work is likely to affect different groups and to take action to ensure that this is taken into account from the beginning of the policy process and its evaluation.

In addition, as a result of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, listed public bodies are now required to consult on the potential impact of new policies, and to monitor existing policies, to ensure that there is no differential and adverse impact on people from minority ethnic communities.

Government departments have responsibility for a wide range of policies and a single baseline for policy appraisal would not be universally appropriate.