MPA Gender Equality Scheme

Report: 16
Date: 24 May 2007
By: Chief Executive

Summary

This report presents to Members the MPA Gender Equality Scheme (GES) 2007–2010.

A. Recommendations

That

1. Members endorse the MPA 2007 – 2010 GES; and
2. if agreed, members refer it to the next Full Authority for full ratification

B. Supporting information

1. In 1970 the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) come into force. Three decades on the UK still has a full time hourly pay gap between men and women of around 17% [1]. The Fawcett Society state that half of women will experience domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking in their lifetime, and that the female prison population has more than doubled in the last decade primarily as a result of harsher sentencing.

2. The Gender Equality Duty comes on the back of the Race Equality Duty and the Disability Equality Duty and clearly indicates a real need to move the debate forward on what gender equality means. Historically gender equality is an issue that has applied more to employment than service delivery. The Gender Equality Duty is contained within the Equality Act 2006 and came into force in April 2007 [2]. It states that a public authority shall have due regard to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between men and women. This will apply to all public bodies. Specific duties will apply to many public bodies including the MPA and MPS. These are:

1. Publish gender equality schemes in consultation with employees and stakeholders;
2. Monitor progress and publish progress reports every three years; and
3. Conduct and publish gender impact assessments on major new legislation and policy.

3. The new Equality Act 2006 encompasses the new Gender Equality Duty, which required the MPA to publish a GES by 30 April 2007. This new duty requires public authorities such as the MPA to promote gender equality and eliminate sex discrimination. The duty places a legal responsibility on the Authority to demonstrate that we treat men and women fairly in our policymaking, public services, and in our employment practices.

4. This new duty is aimed at ensuring that gender equality is part of core business, not an add-on. It is not necessarily about receiving the same treatment but treatment that is according to need. The Equal Opportunities Commission will enforce the duty from April 2007 across the six equality strands. The new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) will be responsible for enforcing it from October 2007.

Gender Equality Scheme 2007-10

5. The MPA GES sets out the framework the MPA will use to tackle gender equality issues. Copies are enclosed for members only and it is also available on the MPA website. The MPA will continue to promote gender equality and eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment, the GES reflects an understanding that women and men can experience disadvantage and discrimination because of their age, disability, ethnicity, religion or belief/non belief, or sexual orientation; and we are committed to ensuring that the rights of transgender people under the Gender Recognition Act 2005 are recognised.
6. In the future the MPA will produce updated versions of its GES action plan with clear reference throughout the action plan to the Equality Standard for Local Government (ESLG). In this way, the MPA will demonstrate and show with evidence the steps it has taken to ensure that it has given ‘due regard’ to all the equality strands in the development of its policies, procedures and practices. The outcomes of the assessment against the Equality Standard will contribute towards implementing our GES.

Areas of success

7. During the course of developing the GES as well as gathering our evidence for the ESLG, we discovered that the MPA have much to celebrate in terms of promoting equality of opportunity for women, men, girls and boys. Notable case studies cited within the GES include:

• the Counter Terrorism – the London Debate [3]. Public hearings included a dialogue with groups who had experienced a disproportionate impact since the terrorist attacks on the 7 July 2005 and the failed attempt on the 21 July 2005 (representatives from the business/tourist companies/organisations); and secondly, those who have historically have little opportunity to get involved in policing policy but who are more likely to be disproportionally impacted on by counter-terrorism policing policy for example young people, Asian men and women;
• research into the diversity of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) compared to police officer recruits. This research found that female PCSOs were less likely than their male counterparts to state that they were using the role as a stepping-stone to becoming a police officer. One female respondent stated that childcare responsibilities prevented her attending the 18-week residential police officer training course – a reason, she stated, that prevented a lot of females on her PCSO training course applying to be a police officer. In addition, female PCSOs were more likely than males to cite the importance of work-life balance as a reason for not wanting to become a police officer. It is hoped that findings from the study will contribute to the developing body of research into diversity of PCSOs and inform continuing efforts by the MPS to develop a service that reflects the communities it serves [4]; and
• in April 2006 the MPA set up a Domestic Violence Board designed to monitor and scrutinise MPS performance on domestic violence at borough level and across the MPS. The Board has met three times and has to date looked at the response by four boroughs – Havering, Croydon, Tower Hamlets and Brent. The Board met most recently on 6 February 2007 when its focus was corporate concentrating on domestic violence-specific training and crime investigation policy. The Board meets next on 12 June 2007 when Hammersmith and Fulham and Sutton will be attending. A review of the Board’s work during 2006-07 is scheduled to be considered at full Authority on 26 July 2007 where its Annual Report will be published reviewing work to date and making recommendations to government.
• the MPA Equality and Diversity Unit (EDU) during the summer of 2006 facilitated a gender user involvement/consultation event, as part of the process for developing the MPA Generic Equality Scheme. This event was externally facilitated and invited guest speakers from the Fawcett Society. The session highlighted improvements that the MPA should consider i.e issues around training, recruitment and communication. These issues have been addressed within our GES action plan.

Areas for improvement

8. The MPA have made progress toward the achievement of gender equality in service delivery and employment in the MPA, but there is much still to do to challenge discrimination and harassment and promote equality. In our role of scrutinising, overseeing and holding the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to account, this document will be one of the key standards by which we operate so that we achieve for women, men, girls and boys a confidence in the MPS and a good experience of policing, to meet their needs and aspirations. Through its Improvement Programme the MPA are particularly focusing on values and behaviours and in developing new training and leadership models, as well as fine-tuning human resources policies. These issues are also tackled through the GES action plan.

Synergy with other corporate initiatives

9. The MPA Improvement Programme continues to be one of the major areas of business activity during 2007. It is vital that this work, together with the work on the Equality Standard for Local Government (ESLG), consistently provides evidence of the MPA meeting its general and specific legislative duties.

Generic Equality Scheme

10. The MPA is still working towards developing its Generic Equality Scheme. The Authority has now put in place action plans for three of the six equality strands [5] (Race, Disability, Gender). Due to legislative deadlines and finite resources the EDU have worked to meet these commitments first. Over the course of the summer 2007 the EDU will be working towards compiling a fully integrated action plan and scheme that includes all six equality strands. The MPA’s Generic Equality Scheme should be available by December of 2007.

11. Due to changes in terms of resources, EDU will have to formulate a new strategy to complete the consultation for the GES. In particular the commitment that was given to carry out further consultations on race and faith. This is subject to further discussion by MPA Senior Management Team (SMT).

C. Race and equality impact

1. The RES is the mechanism whereby the MPA informs both its workforce and Londoners of the way in which it will implement the duties placed upon it by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act [RR(A)A] 2000. It is also the vehicle by which the workforce and Londoners can hold the MPA to account in implementing those duties.

2. Successfully operating the RES will produce positive benefits for all London’s diverse communities and for the workforce of the MPA. A contented workforce that mirrors, at all levels, the diverse nature of London’s communities and a community that is proud of, and confident in, its police authority will improve the general view of policing and confidence in it.

D. Financial implications

The Race and Diversity Unit holds a budget for the progression of race and other equality issues. £8000 had been set aside for developing the Generic Equality Scheme, with a further £2000 to support the on-going review of the MPA’s Race Equality Scheme and £5,000 has been allocated to the MPA Domestic Violence Board on account of the EDU budget for 2007/08 this is subject to ratification by MPA SMT. It should also be noted that as from June 2007 staff resources within EDU will be significantly reduced.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Julliett Fearon-Knott, MPA

For more information contact:

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

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