§ Jackie BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he has established a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment. [93463]
§ Mr. Chris SmithAs part of the Government's commitment to ensuring that their policies are relevant to the lives that people live today, my Department is working with the Women's Unit, Home Office and DfEE to develop good practices for ensuring that our policies meet the changing needs of all members of society.
"Policy Appraisal for Equal Treatment", published by the Cabinet Office, Home Office, DfEE and the Women's Unit in November 1998, has been circulated to staff within my Department to ensure that the effects of any policy changes on all sections of the population are considered at the earliest stage of policy development.
My Department has set targets for measuring progress on equal treatment in its own employment policies and in appointments to its sponsored bodies. It requires those sponsored bodies to set targets for equal treatment in their areas of interest.