§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions his Department has had 123W with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the inclusion of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. [142318]
§ Mr. IngramThere are currently no plans to designate the FCO under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. However, the issue of designation of Government Departments is kept under review. In the course of these deliberations we will consider whether it is appropriate to designate the FCO as a public authority for the purposes of the Act. My officials keep the Equality Commission informed of our thinking on this and other matters.