15 March 2007 - Over half of public bodies meet new disability duties

A new report out today reveals that more than half of public authorities have published a Disability Equality Scheme with the involvement of disabled people, as required by law since 4 December 2006.

The Government’s Office for Disability Issues (ODI) today published “Public Bodies’ Response to the Disability Equality Duty” by Ipsos MORI.  The report provides a picture of compliance with the new Disability Equality Duty as of January 2007.

Welcoming the report, Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire praised those bodies who had involved disabled people directly in the development of their schemes. Ms McGuire said:

“Implementation of the Disability Equality Duty is key to improving the lives of disabled people.  It’s a huge step forward that just over half of all public bodies audited by the Office for Disability Issues were found to have given disabled people a real opportunity to influence and shape the policies and services which have an impact on their lives. 

“But it’s disappointing that a significant number of public bodies missed the December deadline to publish a scheme – and the ODI, working with the Disability Rights Commission, will be taking appropriate action to ensure all public bodies are playing their part in promoting equality for disabled people.”

Since 4 December 2006, all public sector bodies have been required by law to set out how they plan to promote equality for disabled people in a Disability Equality Scheme.  Of those organisations who have complied, three quarters have involved disabled people in the production of their scheme.

The report provides information, broken down by sector, as to how many public authorities have published a Disability Equality Scheme and the percentage of authorities who have involved disabled people in drawing up their schemes.  The findings will help to identify the sectors that require additional support from Government and the Disability Rights Commission.
The ODI will be conducting further research with public bodies this year, as well as running a number of conferences to provide examples of best practice.

Selected survey findings:

• 72 per cent of public authorities covered by the audit were found to have published a Disability Equality Scheme (DES)
• At least 54% of all authorities covered in the audit are estimated to have published a DES that contained evidence of involving disabled people
• Public sectors with the highest level of compliance were Ministerial Government Departments and Higher Education institutions. The lowest were the ‘Cultural and Countryside sector’ and ‘Other Central Government Bodies’ (for example, executive agencies and regulators)
• Authorities who had involved disabled people were most likely to have involved disabled customers/service users (87%) or disabled members of staff (84%)
• The most common method of involving disabled was via surveys/ focus groups of disabled customers (70%) or through regular working workshops (57%).

Notes for editors

1. Today’s report has been compiled by the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute and contains the findings of an audit of public authorities’ compliance with the Disability Equality Duty (DED) specific duties.  The study comprised of a census of all 1,752 public authorities in England and Wales covered by the Regulations, with the exception of schools. A range of methods including postal questionnaires, telephone contacting and website checking were used to ascertain publication of each authority’s DES. The full report can be found at www.officefordisability.gov.uk.
2. The Public Authorities surveyed were divided into the following sectors: Ministerial Government Departments, Other Central Government Bodies (e.g. executive agencies, regulators), Local Government (England & Wales), Criminal Justice (e.g. police authorities, probation boards), Cultural & Countryside (e.g. national park authorities), Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Other NHS Bodies (e.g. Foundation Trusts, Strategic/ Special Health Authorities), Higher Education (HE), Further Education (FE), Other Public Bodies (e.g. Non-departmental public bodies, Regional Development Agencies).
3. The Disability Equality Duty was introduced as part of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. There are four key elements to the duty, which require organisations to actively consider how they can:
   • eliminate unlawful disability discrimination and disability-related harassment;
   • promote equality of opportunity for disabled people
   • promote positive attitudes; and
   • encourage disabled people to take part in public life.
4. Most authorities that have to produce Disability Equality Schemes were required to publish them by 4 December 2006.  There are slightly different arrangements for schools in England and Wales.  In Wales, schools need to comply with the duties by April 2007, which allows them to combine their Disability Equality Schemes with their Accessibility plans.  In England, schools will be able to combine their Disability Equality Schemes with the plans they are producing for the New Relationship with Schools, and so primary schools are not required to produce their Schemes until December 2007.
5. The Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit report ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’, published in January 2005, set out the Government’s strategy for disabled people. For information on progress in delivering this strategy, please visit www.officefordisability.gov.uk.

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Websites: www.officefordisability.gov.uk
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