6 April 2006 - The public sector and equality for disabled people
Research published today prompts public sector authorities to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.
The research report ‘The Public Sector And The Disability Discrimination Act’ was commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions to find out how public bodies are approaching the implementation of the Disability Equality Duty (part of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005).
Public authorities such as Government Departments or Primary Care Trusts will be under a positive duty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, including employees, service users and others, from December 2006.
Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People, said:
“ The DDA has been a major factor in bringing about change in terms of employment and the way services are delivered for disabled people. But the report published today highlights that organisations in the public sector still need to be much more proactive in meeting the needs of disabled people. The Disability Equality Duty, which comes in from this December, will be a further catalyst for change, ensuring that the needs of disabled people are no longer seen as an afterthought.”
The research report is designed to act as baseline research so that the impact of the Disability Equality Duty can be evaluated in future.
Notes to editors
- DWP commissioned the Centre for Research on Social Policy (CRSP) and the British Market Research Board (BMRB) to conduct a study of public bodies’ approaches to implementing the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (the DDA), with the aim of providing current evidence and a baseline against which to assess the extent to which the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (the 2005 Act) prompts authorities to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people in future.
- The quantitative research by BMRB and CRSP surveyed 376 public organisations. The findings provide a broad indication how the wider population of public organisations are responding to the DED.
- Research Report 343 – ‘The Public Sector and Equality for Disabled People is published on 6 April 2006. The report is available on the DWP website and hard copies can be obtained from Paul Noakes, Room 4-26, The Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT.
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