Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 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.

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is committed to fulfilling the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, by providing employees with Inclusion in the Civil Service training, and publishing guidance on the NIO intranet for employees to understand how and when to conduct an equality impact assessment.

There is no legal requirement to publish duty assessment documentation (often referred to as equality impact assessments).

However, under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, S.75 screenings are routinely published on the Departments transparency pages.

The Northern Ireland Office always seeks to work with trade unions, through meaningful consultation and engagement to help inform decision making.