§ Ms. Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the main needs of women in the policy areas within his Department's activities; what has been done to identify and quantify these needs and to monitor services delivery; what consultation is carried out with women to ensure their views are adequately represented; and what training is given to his staff to raise their appreciation of the needs of women.
§ Mr. StanleyIn April 1987 the United Kingdom Government produced a co-ordinated response to the "Forward Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women" (FLS) which was adopted by consensus at the Nairobi conference held at the end of the United Nations Decade for Women. This document responds to the recommendations and observations on all aspects of policies for the advancement of women made in the FLS and includes information on monitoring and consultation. The Northern Ireland Office contributed to this reply.
Women's representative organisations in Northern Ireland are regularly consulted during the preparation of legislation and their views are taken into account.
The Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments are responsible for a wide range of public services in Northern Ireland and staff in those services are given appropriate training to ensure their efficient delivery. Where it is relevant to the function in question, the training is designed to help staff appreciate the needs of women in keeping with the needs of all special interest groups.