Strategic Equality Plan - swfrs

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South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Strategic Equality Plan 3. The Equality Act 2010 In February 2005, the United Kingdom Government set up the Discrimination Law Review, to look at inconsistencies in the discrimination law framework and to consider how best to achieve clearer and more streamlined equality legislation, that results in better outcomes for those who experience disadvantage. The resulting Equality Bill received Royal Assent in April 2010. The Equality Act 2010 came into effect the1st October 2010 and repealed all the primary discrimination legislation (including the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Regulations concerning protection from discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, religion or belief and age) as well as many secondary pieces of legislation, bringing equality laws under one Act. Key areas The new Act: Provides powers to extend age discrimination protection outside the workplace Clarifies protection against discrimination by association, for example in relation to a mother who cares for her disabled child Extends protection from discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment to school pupils Extends discrimination protection in the terms of membership and benefits for private clubs and associations Creates a unified public sector duty, intended to promote equality in public policy and decision-making, existing provisions being extended to the protected characteristics of sexual orientation, age and religion or belief, and proposes a new public sector duty related to socioeconomic inequalities Provides for legislation requiring that employers review gender pay differences within their organisations and publish the results Provides for changes to the way that individual claims are enforced, and gives employment tribunals wider powers to make recommendations for the collective benefit of employees Allows a UK Minister of the Crown to amend UK equality legislation to comply with European law without the need for primary legislation The Act also provides definitions for: direct discrimination, discrimination arising from disability, discrimination by perception, discrimination by association, indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimisation. 7
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Strategic Equality Plan There are now nine “protected characteristics” (they used to be referred to as equality strands), namely: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. The Equality Act and specific equality duties for Wales ensures that public bodies, including Fire and Rescue Services, will have a duty to promote equality on eight of these grounds (not marriage or civil partnership). The Act introduces a new general public sector equality duty that came into force in April 2011. This means that the public sector, including Fire and Rescue Services must: Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited under the Act; Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it The Welsh Government has set out specific equality duties for the public sector in Wales. The regulations are set out below and are based on our needs as a Country. The specific equality duties should help us meet the general duty. The following section sets out an overview of the regulations, what we have done so far to meet those requirements as well as our intentions set out in the Action Plan at the end of this document. 4. Regulation 3: Equality objectives. Regulation 4: Preparation and review of equality objectives. Regulation 13: Review of arrangements Regulation 14: Annual reporting on compliance with the general duty We are required to publish this Equality Statement and a Strategic Equality Plan by 2 April 2012 and review it within 4 years. The objectives within this Plan are evidence based and informed by engagement and consultation with staff and communities (targeting people who represent and or share the 9 equality protected characteristics). The objectives will be kept under review to ensure relevance and appropriateness and progress against the objectives will be reported annually via the Improvement Plan. 8
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Strategic Equality Plan - swfrs

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