Annual Report 2004.pdf - Equality Authority

Survey participants were asked if they hadexperienced discrimination in a number ofareas such as employment and whenusing services, on what grounds theybelieve they were discriminated againstand the impact this has had on their lives.The survey also investigates participants’knowledge of equality legislation andwhat action, if any, they have taken toaddress discrimination against them.The results will be available from theCSO in 2005.State Sponsored SectorA review of equality initiatives in theDepartment of Arts, Sport and Tourismand in agencies under its aegis wasinitiated by the Equality Authority inpartnership with the Department. In thisproject, each of the agencies under theaegis of the Department of Arts, Sport andTourism, and each section within theDepartment itself, is contributing to anassessment of the development of equalityinitiatives within their remit, on foot ofthe equality legislation and of nationalpolicy commitments. The reviewestablishes a benchmark against whichthe Department and the agencies cancompare themselves at a future date. Thereview looks at policy, practice, planningand positive action, from an equalityperspective and covers all of the activitiesof the agencies or sections. Two stages ofthe project were completed in the year:project initiation (establishment of thesteering group, briefing for participatingbodies and review and modification of thetemplate that had been used in theprevious review in the Department ofJustice, Equality and Law Reform) and datagathering. The data analysis was begun inthe last quarter of 2004.Wider Equal OpportunitiesPrinciple in the NationalDevelopment Plan (NDP)Arising from NDP/CSF Evaluation Unit’s‘Review of the Relevance of NDP/CSFHorizontal Principles to OP Measures’, and thesubsequent decisions taken at Spring 2004NDP Monitoring Committee meetings,three priorities from the Economic andSocial Infrastructure OperationalProgramme, five measures/sub-measuresfrom the two Regional OperationalProgramme, and ten measures from theEmployment and Human ResourceDevelopment Operation Programme wereprioritised for a particular focus onintegrating and reporting on the WiderEqual Opportunities Principle. The WiderEqual Opportunities Principles requires afocus on older people, people withdisabilities, minority ethnic people (inparticular refugees) and Travellers withinthe various measures funded under theNational Development Plan.Following the requirements set out in the114 • Equality Authority Annual Report 2004