A review of available information on the use of impact assessment in public policy formulation and in contributing to the fulfilment of statutory duties

Conley, Hazel

Abstract

This report provides a review of a range of information on the use of impact assessment in public policy formation and particularly in relation to statutory duties placed on public authorities. The first section charts the antecedents of equality impact assessment (EIA) from gender mainstreaming initiatives following the Beijing platform in 1995 in Europe, Canada and Australia. The second section of the report examines the use of EIA as part of statutory duties on public authorities in Great Britain and recently in the Republic of Ireland. Section 3 of the report examines the role of EIA in the enforcement of s.149 by judicial review. Section 4 of the report examines sources of support and guidance for both public authorities and civil society groups in relation to the development and use of EIAs. The report conclusions are contained in section 6 and argue that some of the main advances made by the public sector equality duty (PSED), particularly its proactive potential, are lost if there are limited opportunities for engagement by civil society groups other than enforcement by judicial review.

• Report Type: Project Report
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 9, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 14, 2016
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.13591.3844
• Keywords: equality impact assessment, judicial review, public sector equality duty
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/918164
• Publisher URL: http://www.equalityni.org/Employers-Service-Providers/Public-Authorities
• Contract Date: Jun 9, 2016