§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason the Equality Commission has not yet established a consultative council as required by section 74 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and if he will make a statement. [130403]
§ Mr. SpellarSection 74 of the Northern Ireland Act confers a power on the Commission to establish consultative councils. If this power is exercised, the Commission has a duty to have regard to the advice offered by the council(s).
The Commission's first Corporate Plan included an intention to consider and consult on options on this issue and the report of a pre-consultation exercise was considered by the Commission in 2002. I understand that little interest was expressed on the establishment of a consultative council(s) in this exercise. The Commission decided to defer a decision on a formal consultation until 2003–04 business year and this remains the position.
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many fair employment cases the Equality Commission is assisting through the provision of funding; and how many of these also involve discrimination prohibited on other grounds; [131420]
(2) when the Equality Commission produced a strategic plan for investigations following reviews under Article 55 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998; [131462]
(3) how many employers the Equality Commission has referred to the Fair Employment Tribunal because of a failure to abide by undertakings made as a result of investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Northern Ireland) 1998 in each year; [131879]
(4) how many applications for assistance in terms of funding of fair employment cases the Equality Commission received (a) in the last financial year and (b) in this financial year; and how many of these also involved discrimination prohibited on other grounds; [131463]
(5) how many cases the Equality Commission is assisting through the provision of funding; [131421]
206W(6) how many applications for assistance in terms of funding of cases the Equality Commission has received in the (a) current and (b) last financial year; [131422]
(7) what external research the Equality Commission has commissioned on fair employment since its foundation; [131464]
(8) what (a) external and (b) internal research the Equality Commission has published on fair employment since its foundation; [131470]
(9) how many investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 have been initiated by the Equality Commission in each year since its foundation; [131460]
(10) if he will confirm when the Equality Commission produced a strategic plan for investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998; [131461]
(11) how many investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Northern Ireland) 1998 have been initiated by the Equality Commission in each year since its foundation; and how many of them were against an employer as a result of a finding by the Fair Employment Tribunal against that employer; [131761]
(12) what external research the Equality Commission has published on fair employment since its foundation; [131762]
(13) with how many employers the Equality Commission has agreed undertakings following investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Northern Ireland) 1998 in each year since its foundation. [131881]
§ Mr. SpellarI have asked the Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to write to the hon. Gentleman. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.