Written - Proposals for priorities for the Welsh Assembly Government's Single Equality Scheme

I am very pleased to have this opportunity to report back on progress on proposals for priorities for the Welsh Assembly Government’s first Single Equality Scheme. This is particularly good timing as on 26 June, Harriet Harman MP, Minister for Women, announced proposals for a Single Equality Bill.

The reason for producing a Single Equality Scheme stems from our belief that a more holistic approach is needed to allow all citizens to live in Wales without fear of discrimination or prejudice. People have many complex needs and do not necessarily fit easily into any single “strand” or category. Putting the citizen at the heart of our policy making and service delivery means that we are truly taking an inclusive approach to the work we do as a Government.

Wales is becoming a more diverse country and we must embrace the cultural richness that follows. We want our Single Equality Scheme to deliver a progressive agenda for equality, diversity and human rights in Wales.

In March this year I announced that we were consulting on proposals for a framework and priorities for a Single Equality Scheme. The document set out our intention to develop a scheme underpinned by human rights principles, respecting the individual, treating each other with dignity and ensuring fairness and equity.

As part of our engagement during the consultation, people were asked their views on the priorities we put forward. I commend the approach taken to reach out to as many organisations as possible, including those who have not always been reached.

I am particularly grateful to partner organisations and individuals who gave up their time to write responses and discuss their views at meetings and workshops. Thanks to their support and collaboration we have learned first hand about a wide range of views on the priorities we have proposed, and believe that the Single Equality Scheme can be a lever for positive change.

An initial review of responses from the consultation showed that a Single Equality Scheme is welcomed. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that there is work to be done to ensure that all voices are heard and that we may well need to focus more on particular groups and communities to ensure they can lead fulfilled lives.

We are busy analysing the messages we have received from this engagement process, but some of the key emerging messages are:

• Equality should matter to everyone. Equality is everyone’s business. We need to design more services around our citizens and this requires a true understanding of their needs and wishes. Our society is made up of diverse citizens and communities who include young people, single mothers, transgender people and ethnic minorities.
• When we say that equalities matter to everyone, this includes the rights of disadvantaged or minority groups to live their lives as full, equal citizens, with dignity and without the fear of discrimination or prejudice.
• We must consistently think about equality and human rights issues at the start of policy making to make sure we make the best possible policy decisions and place equality as a core part of business.
• We must continue to focus on the needs of our citizens, recognising the diversity of the Welsh demography to develop policies, services and strategies designed to meet the needs of the people requiring those services.
• We must continue to develop strong links between the Welsh Assembly Government, public bodies, the private sector and the third sector and work together, collaborating to achieve shared outcomes. We know that we can not take a one dimensional approach to addressing persistent inequalities.

We will adopt our first scheme this Autumn. It will be a three year scheme, together with action plans which will highlight the work we will do in collaboration with our partners to meet the priorities identified. This will form our framework for the equality agenda.

The Welsh Assembly Government had previously worked with three “strands” of race, disability and gender. We need to go beyond that to include age, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. Feedback from the consultation and the announcement of “Framework for a Fairer Future” by Harriet Harman MP last month have led me to the conclusion that we should also recognise transgender as a distinct equality strand.

We will report on progress every six months and the 9th Annual Equality Report will be produced at the end of the year to review the scheme in greater detail.

Our aspiration is for the Welsh Assembly Government’s Single Equality Scheme to be built on the principles of human rights; fairness, respect, equality and dignity. We want to weave this throughout the entire document. This scheme will provide a very important means of ensuring that everybody’s entitlement to equality and human rights is maintained. I look forward to announcing the scheme and its action plans in the Autumn.