Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

There is no legal requirement to publish duty assessment documentation, however, the relevant documentation is provided to staff and Trade Union colleagues upon request.

The Cabinet Office adheres to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) by completing an equality analysis for each HR policy that we update and/or introduce. This document records the analysis undertaken by the Cabinet Office to fulfil the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. The department meets the requirement by paying due regard to the need to:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination - direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, discrimination arising from disability, and harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act

2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it

We do this by giving consideration to protected characteristics, as well as other groups not included within the list of protected characteristics within the Act, such as varying socio-economic groups. We consider Public Sector Equality Duty before and during policy or service formation, and monitor how the policy or service is working once a decision is implemented. Considering equality in this way is a part of normal day-to-day activity and not a one off exercise.

The Cabinet Office meets regularly with Trade Union representatives. We share information and data requested on the Cabinet Office workforce where appropriate and in line with our privacy statements to help inform decision making.

We regularly communicate and meet with our Trade Union colleagues and have a standard process for engaging with them. In the context of HR policies, this includes, but is not limited to sharing draft HR policies for review, discussion and comment and provides Trade Union colleagues with the opportunity to provide feedback prior to publication.