Equality of Opportunity Committee
'Mainstreaming Equality' Policy Review (June 2003 - July 2004)
In June 2003 The National Assembly for Wales' Equality of Opportunity Committee decided to undertake a review of how equality can be mainstreamed into the work of the Assembly.
The terms of reference for the review were:
"To consider how equality can be mainstreamed into the work of the Assembly and the Assembly Government."
The Committee adopted the following initial definition of mainstreaming:
`Mainstreaming' equality is about the integration of equality of opportunity principles, strategies and practices into the every day work of the Assembly and other public bodies. It means that equality issues should be considered from the outset as an integral part of the policymaking and service delivery process and the achievement of equality should inform all aspects of the work of all the individuals within an organisation as they go about their business.
The Government of Wales Act requires the Assembly to
"make appropriate arrangements with a view to securing that its functions are exercised with due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people"
. It is further required to report annually on the effectiveness of these arrangements.
The aim of the review was to come up with practical steps to help the Assembly meet its duty under the Act, and to ensure that equality issues play a central role in public policy making and service delivery in Wales.
The Committee considered responses to its report on 17 March 2005 and will review progress with implementation of the accepted recommendations in Autumn 2006.
Key Documents
The following are the key documents.
