Diversity implications covered by reports to MPA committees

Report: 12a
Date: 13 March 2003
By: Clerk

Summary

The Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board has the lead responsibility and overview for the equal opportunities, race and diversity practice and performance of the Authority. One of the methods that it has agreed to use to do this is by requiring each committee report to address the equal opportunity and diversity implications of the issue being addressed. This report provides the first assessment of how this is working and proposes some changes that should be made to improve the current process.

A. Recommendations

1. That members approve the proposal outlined in paragraph 5 for more specific guidance to be given on the assessment of the impact of policy or practice covered by each report.
2. Members agree to further review this process further at the May meeting of the EODB.

B. Supporting information

1. As public authorities, under the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RRA), the MPA and MPS are required to assess the impact of their policies, practices and procedures to see whether and how these impact, positively or negatively on people of different races.

2. In September 2002, in response to the requirement of the RRA and as a way of implementing one of the key terms of reference of the new EODB, MPA officers developed some brief guidance to be made available to MPA and MPS staff who were responsible for drafting Committee reports, to enable them to complete the new equal opportunities and diversity section of MPA committee reports. This goes wider than the requirements of the RRA as it covers all aspects of diversity.

3. The Consultation and Diversity Unit receives copies of all reports in draft to comment on the appropriateness or otherwise of the equal opportunities and diversity implications, and where appropriate, to request that report authors review or make changes the wording in this section. The level of response to the equalities considerations in the committee reports has been good; however, it is evident that the level of detail provided by report authors tends to be general rather than an in-depth consideration of the equalities implication on the subject in question.

4. An overview of the reports across all committees also demonstrate that it is not immediately evident that all authors have a good grasp of the MPA or MPS corporate diversity agenda, the key recommendations arising from the Equalities for All Best Value review, that both the MPA and MPS has signed up to or the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, and the specific and general duty implications for the MPS. This has been brought to the attention of the MPS Diversity Directorate and MPA and MPS staff will be meeting to discuss how this can be addressed. A report of the outcomes of this meeting will be presented to the May meeting of this committee.

5. The outcomes of this discussion will contribute to the development of a more detailed set of guidance being developed. Initially, this will be for use by MPA policy leads who are responsible for commissioning committee reports. This will enable them to give clearer and more specific guidance to report authors on how the impact on equality and diversity should be assessed and reported in committee papers.

C. Equality and diversity implications

This report is primarily concerned with seeing that the process in place is enhanced to ensure that the equality and diversity implications of all committee reports are adequately considered and that the MPA is enabled to demonstrate its adherence to the requirement of RRA, for the impact of key policy decisions to be continuously assessed.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications associated with this report.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Julia Smith, MPA.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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