Hi Gary,
We are happy with the core messages; however in my personal view the PSED is particularly weak in England and if real change is expected/hoped for, these need to be strengthened rather than diluted any further.
Regards
Min Rodriguez-Davies
Head of Equality
Equality Office
University of Hertfordshire
B157, College Lane
Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL10 9AB
Tel: 01707 284982
Mob: 07711 017290
www.herts.ac.uk
@uhequality
________________________________________
From: HEEON equal opportunities list [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gary Loke [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 14 March 2013 16:31
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Call for evidence announced for the Equality Duty Review - Closing date 12 April
Dear colleagues,
The Government has announced a call for evidence for the review of the Public Sector Equality Duty (https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/123). The review is particularly focusing on the following key themes:
· how well understood is the PSED and guidance
· what are the costs and benefits of the PSED
· how organisations are managing legal risk and ensuring compliance with the PSED
· what changes, if any, would ensure better equality outcomes (legislative, administrative and/or enforcement changes, for example).
The PSED review team is particularly interested in looking at equalities paperwork and policies related to PSED (particularly in relation to public sector procurement processes) and the collection, retention and use of diversity data by public bodies, for example, in relation to goods, facilities and services.
The consultation period is short (see below). In the circumstances, ECU, in discussion with the steering committee of the Higher Education Equal Opportunities Network (HEEON) and the chair of the Higher Education Race Action Group (HERAG) will be submitting a response based on the following core messages:
1. where operated well, evidence shows that the PSED has provided a impetus for step-change to address inequality in education generally and more specifically in higher education.
2. more time is needed to embed operations; the PSED duty has only been place for 2 years (although there were previous duties for race, gender and disability) so this review is too early as HEIs are still embedding practice to meet the current requirements.
3. while legislation is not the only mechanism to enact change, it is one core mechanism; the PSED has been effective in providing goal posts for public bodies to progress towards a fairer society
4. to change legislation at this stage is counter-productive as institutions spent resources in developing mechanisms and work to implement the PSED duty; major changes will create uncertainty and further work for higher education institutions
5. because there are different specific duties for England, Scotland and Wales, consideration is required that the operation and impact of the duty is different in each country
We hope that colleagues agree with these messages. If you have concerns about these, please do let us know.
We are also encouraging HEIs to submit evidence to this review, and we understand that the review team would welcome submissions from institutions in England, Scotland and Wales. The PSED review team are seeking evidence that relate to the key themes above and must be submitted by Friday 12 April 2013 to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for it to be considered. As part of the evidence, the team is also seeking examples of documentation relating to the PSED, for example equality impact assessments, procurement forms, diversity data forms, guidance and toolkits.
With best wishes,
Gary
Gary Loke
Head of Policy
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