Equal Opportunities (Hansard, 2 May 1995)

§ Ms Eagle
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which Minister in her Department has responsibility for equal opportunities issues; [21450]
(2) what progress has been made within her Department on equal opportunities matters. [21451]

§ Mr. Sackville
I have responsibility for equal opportunities issues in the Department.
The information requested is contained in the Department's 1993–94 equal opportunities progress report, copies of which will be placed in the Library.

§ Ms Eagle
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the gender assessment being prepared by the Department. [21452]

§ Mr. Sackville
Such assessment is part of a continuous and routine process of ensuring that the Department's policy proposals are not unlawful or unjustifiable on sex or race discrimination grounds and that similar principles apply to other groups.

§ Ms Eagle
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress she hopes to achieve in her Department over the next three months to push forward the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna conference in preparation for the fourth UN conference on women; and if she will incorporate a section on equal opportunities in her Department's annual report. [21453]

§ Mr. Sackville
The Government are committed to the principles set out in the regional platform for action agreed at the preparatory conference in Vienna for the fourth United Nations world conference on women. We have taken these forward through a wide range of programmes and initiatives and will continue to do so.
A statement about equal opportunities is already included in the Department's annual report, copies of which are available in the Library.