§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government
Which persons have been designated for the purposes of Section 75(1) (statutory duty on public authorities) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 by order made by the Secretary of State under Section 75(3)(d) of that Act; and [HL592]
Whether the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and further and higher education institutions have been designated for the purposes of Section 75(1) of the Northern Ireland Act; and if not, why not. [HL593]
§ Baroness Farrington of RibbletonThe Northern Ireland Act clearly defines the vast majority of public bodies to which the Section 75 obligation will apply. However, the Secretary of State may designate additional bodies, including UK departments carrying out functions relating to Northern Ireland, to which the obligation should apply. George Howarth, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, met the Equality Commission on 20 December to discuss the contents of the proposed Designation Order. At this meeting the Equality Commission suggested a number of other bodies for inclusion in the order and these bodies are being reviewed as a matter of urgency.