Shadow Minister for Equality Mohammad Asghar has welcomed the launch of a consultation on Public Sector Specific Equality Duty in Wales.
The launch of a twelve-week consultation into draft regulations and supporting documentation required to impose specific public sector equality duties in Wales was announced on Tuesday.
Mr Asghar, who represents South Wales East, said: “I am pleased to welcome the launch of this consultation.
“What is essential is ensuring that people that use and rely on these public services gain a clear idea of exactly what they should expect from services they ultimately pay for”.
He hopes to see Welsh Ministers using these powers effectively to ensure they deal with equality challenges facing Wales, adding: “Welsh Ministers have the power to impose specific duties on Welsh public bodies which means certain duties will be different here than in other parts of the UK.
“With regards to equality – like on so many other issues – we have some unique challenges here in Wales; so it is essential that Welsh Ministers use this power effectively to deal with such challenges”.
He also asked the Minister how he will ensure that prescriptive measures placed on Welsh public sector bodies “won’t lead to equality duties becoming a box-ticking process. The coalition government’s approach to this issue aims to replace top-down interventions with local democratic accountability”.
Mr Asghar also called on the Minister to “promote to the general public in Wales the importance of these equality duties and develop a greater understanding as to what people are entitled to expect from their public services”.
