The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and wider society on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
The Report states that the Welsh Government’s evaluation of the Strategic Equality Plan and Equality Objectives 2012-2016 - “focuses on the extent to which there has been measurable progress on the Objectives”.
However, the evaluation itself reports “large gaps in evidence” – and states “a priority for the Welsh Government will be working with other public sector organisations, and with the third sector to prioritise filling these gaps”.
It is a decade since I and others on the Equality of Opportunity Committee first called on the Welsh Government to implement effective action plans relating to progress in promoting equality in Wales, with measurable objectives and outcomes created for all future reports.
I therefore moved an amendment then calling on the Welsh Government to identify achievable and renewable objectives & milestones to address the failings identified.
Hence our Amendment 2 today, where the report and evaluation being debated today confirm that the Welsh Government has still not delivered this.
As the report being debated today records, “public sector bodies must ‘involve people who it considers representative of one or more of the protected groups and who have an interest in how an authority carries out its functions’.”
It is a principle of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act “that a local authority should respond in a person-centred, co-productive way to each individual’s particular circumstances”.
AND as the Minister for Social Services and Public Health has confirmed to me, “The Act places a specific duty on local authorities to promote the involvement of people in the design and delivery of care and support services”.
However, there are growing reports of Local Authorities failing to understand this.
The local deaf community in Conwy had told me that there was no consultation, advance notice, information or transition planning when Conwy removed vital third sector commissioned sign language services on which they relied, stating that the Council had adequate provision to deliver these services in house.
Instead of intervention and prevention services delivering independence and reducing pressure on statutory services, the deaf community told me that the Council showed no deaf awareness and that their independence has been taken from them.
To the detriment of affected constituents, Wrexham was unaware that the Act applied to the tender process for care and support, and Flintshire that it applied to employment in accordance with the Welsh Government’s Framework for Action on Independent Living.
Hence our Amendment 1, calling “on the Welsh Government to clarify the progress made in relation to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, Part 2 Code of Practice, which requires local authorities to work in partnership with people to co-produce the solutions to meet their personal well-being outcomes”.
I hosted December’s Sanctuary in the Senedd event with the Welsh Refugee Coalition.
We need a measurable action plans for Wales to become a nation of sanctuary – as we do to address the increasing problem of older people being specifically targeted by criminals due to their supposed vulnerabilities.
Calling for action to close the attainment gap, the Equality and Human Rights Commission Wales reports strikingly low GCSE attainment amongst Gypsy and Traveller children, looked after children, children with Special Educational Needs and children eligible for free school meals - yet Flintshire has been allowed to close a school which engaged with these very groups and improved their educational outcomes.
The commission reports only 42% of disabled people in employment, and just 1 in 10 people with autism, compared to 71% of non disabled people.
With 42 being the average age of retirement for someone living with MS, what steps can the Welsh Government take to enable them to remain in work for as long as possible?
The Welsh Independent Living Grant helps disabled people to live independently. Two weeks ago the First Minister told me that the decision to transfer this to Local Authorities followed advice from the stakeholders advisory group – but membership organisation Disability Wales advises that their preferred option of a Wales Independent Living Fund was not included for the Stakeholder Group’s consideration.
Nearly two decades after devolution, with the Equality and Human Rights Commission reporting nearly 1 in 4 people living in Wales in poverty, and with child poverty above UK levels, it is time that recycled warm words to be replaced with real action.