Consultation on the Irish Language Commissioner’s Draft Equality Scheme 2026-2031, Draft Equality Action Plan 2026-2031 & Draft Disability Action Plan 2026-2031

Overview

Consultation

The Office of the Irish Language Commissioner welcomes all views on the Draft Equality Scheme 2026-2031, Draft Equality Action Plan 2026-2031 and Draft Disability Action Plan 2026-2031.

Responses received will be considered before final versions are submitted to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland for consideration. Responses must be received no later than 29 January 2027.

Equality Scheme and Equality Duties

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires public authorities, in carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations across a range of categories as outlined below:

Section 75(1): In carrying out the functions as they relate to Northern Ireland there is a requirement to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between:

• Persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
• Men and women generally;
• Persons with a disability and persons without; and
• Persons with dependants and persons without.

Section 75 (2): In addition, without prejudice to the obligations above, in carrying out the functions as they relate to Northern Ireland, the Commissioner is required to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires that each public authority designated under the Act must set out in an Equality Scheme how it proposes to fulfil the duties imposed by Section 75 of the Act.

Equality Action Plan

The Draft Equality Action Plan 2026-2031 sets out the actions the Office of the Irish Language Commissioner proposes to take to promote equality of opportunity and support the fulfilment of its Section 75 duties.

As a newly established public authority, the Commissioner is continuing to develop its understanding of equality issues relevant to its functions. The draft Action Plan has been informed by available evidence, stakeholder engagement and the statutory role of the Office.

Responses received through this consultation will help inform the final Equality Action Plan and identify any additional priorities or actions for the period 2026-2031.

Disability Action Plan

Under Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) (as amended by Article 5 of the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006), public bodies are required, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to:

• Promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and
• Encourage participation by disabled people in public life.

These are collectively referred to as the ‘disability duties’.

Under Section 49B of the DDA 1995, the Commissioner is required to submit a Disability Action Plan to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, showing how it proposes to fulfil these duties in relation to its functions.

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