'Do You Mean Me?': Equality Awareness Survey
It’s important that we base our policy work on reliable data. Our equality awareness surveys look at trends in public attitudes towards particular groups in society, personal experiences of discrimination and knowledge of rights and protections. They consider who is most likely to express negative feelings and who is most likely to be the target of their prejudice.
Our previous survey was published in 2012:
'Do You Mean Me?'
It also has a special website for schools and colleges.
Under paragraph 10 of Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, if you believe you have been directly affected by a failure by a designated public authority to act in compliance with its Equality Scheme, you can complain, first to the public authority concerned, and then, if dissatisfied with their response, to the Equality Commission.
You can contact the Commission for advice and guidance on the procedures involved prior to submitting a complaint. You must bring the potential complaint to the notice of the public authority concerned and allow it a reasonable opportunity to respond.
A complaint to the Commission must be sent to us within twelve months of your knowledge of the matters alleged. All complaints received by the Commission will be considered by a Committee who may decide to authorise investigation of the complaint. Some alleged failures may be resolved without an investigation being necessary.
The Act also provides that the Equality Commission may conduct an investigation of its own volition (under paragraph 11 of Schedule 9) where it believes that a public authority may have failed to comply with its approved Equality Scheme.
Indicators of Equality of Opportunity and Good Relations in Education:
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Keeping it Effective - Reviewing the Effectiveness of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (pdf, 2009)
Investigations into public bodies’ non-compliance with their equality schemes
Section 75 places a statutory duty on public bodies to pro-actively address good relations. This means a public authority must consider how the policies it makes and implements affect relationships between people of different religions, political opinions and racial groups. It involves considering steps to promote good relations amongst, for example, its employees, service users and others affected by its policies.
The purpose of the duty is to mainstream good relations by placing it at the heart of public policy decision making. A key role for us is the oversight of Section 75 duties and we offer extensive guidance and support to public bodies.
The Act requires all public authorities to draw up, and have approved, an Equality Scheme setting out how the public authority proposes to fulfill its duties under the Act. The Equality Commission approves these schemes.
The Act also gives the Commission power to conduct an investigation where it appears that a public authority may have failed to comply with the commitments it has made in its Equality Scheme.
Under paragraph 10 of Schedule 9 of the Act, a person who is directly affected by an alleged failure by a designated public authority to act in compliance with its Equality Scheme may complain in writing, first to the public authority and then, if they are dissatisfied with the response of the public authority, to the Equality Commission.
An individual may contact the Commission for advice and guidance on the procedures involved prior to submitting a complaint. The complaint must be sent to the Commission within twelve months of the complainant’s knowledge of the matters alleged. All complaints received will be considered by a Committee who may decide to authorise investigation of the complaint. Some alleged failures may be resolved without an investigation being necessary.
The Act also provides that the Equality Commission may conduct an investigation of its own volition (under paragraph 11 of Schedule 9) where it believes that a public authority may have failed to comply with its approved Equality Scheme.
The Commission has conducted investigations into a number of allegations that public authorities failed to comply with commitments in their Equality Schemes to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations.
We receive complaints in respect of public authorities’ commitments in their equality schemes in respect of good relations. The majority of these complaints to date have focused on the display of flags and memorabilia by district councils. Frequently such complaints will refer both to the duty of equality of opportunity and the good relations duty.
Completed investigations typically set out whether the alleged failure to comply with the equality scheme has been established, and the action it recommends in light of such failure.