Draft Equality Impact Assessment Executive Summary

Published: August 2023

Contents

• 1. Purpose of equality impact assessment
• 2. Background to the Belfast Agenda
• 3. Aims of the Belfast Agenda 2023–202027
• 4. Relevant strategies, policies and research
• 5. Assessment of impacts
• 6. Consideration of measures
• 7. Consultation

1. Purpose of equality impact assessment 

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires public authorities to comply with two statutory duties. The first requires due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between nine equality categories, namely:

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

The second requires regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious beliefs, political opinion or racial group.

The Disability Discrimination (NI) Order 2006 further introduced duties requiring public authorities to have due regard to the need to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and encourage participation by disabled people in public life.

An equality impact assessment (EQIA) is a thorough and systematic analysis of a policy to determine the extent of differential impact upon the groups within the nine equality categories and whether that impact is adverse.

This draft EQIA report sets out how Belfast City Council and its community planning partners intend to promote equality of opportunity and good relations through the implementation of the Belfast Agenda 2023–2027. It is conducted at a strategic level and does not include details of the equality impacts of every individual element or action.

This executive summary provides an overview of the research and data used to assess the potential impact of the Belfast Agenda 2023–2027 and next steps in relation to consultation, mitigation and monitoring. It is not intended to replace detailed reading of the draft EQIA.

2. Background to the Belfast Agenda

The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 introduced the new statutory duty by which a community plan for making long-term improvements in economic, social and environmental wellbeing must be produced every four years.

Belfast’s first community plan, the Belfast Agenda, was published in November 2017. In 2021, the Council and its community planning partners began the process of reviewing and refreshing the Belfast Agenda. This included a co-design process with the partners and engagement with over 745 people and groups. During this engagement, the long-term vision and ambitions of the Belfast Agenda 2017–21 were found to be still relevant, and draft action plans were tested and refined. Participants were asked to consider equality issues and opportunities, and there were specific workshops themed around equality, diversity and inclusion.

3. Aims of the Belfast Agenda 2023–2027

The draft vision states that by 2035:

‘Belfast will be a city re-imagined and resurgent. A great place to live and work for everyone. Beautiful, well connected and culturally vibrant, it will be a sustainable city shared and loved by all its citizens, free from the legacy of conflict. A compassionate city offering opportunities for everyone. A confident and successful city energising a dynamic and prosperous city region. A magnet for talent and business and admired around the world. A city people dream to visit.’

The following diagram summarises the agenda’s themes and priorities.

The diagram represents this information:

Theme 1: Our people and communities

Making life better for all residents

• Health inequalities
• Community and neighbourhood regeneration

Theme 2: Our Economy

Creating inclusive, innovative and sustainable growth, learning and opportunity

• Educational inequalities
• Jobs and skills
• Sustainable and inclusive economic growth

Theme 3: Our Place

Creating a liveable and connected, vibrant and competitive city

• Housing led regeneration
• Connectivity, active and sustainable travel
• Future City Centre and wider city regeneration and investment

Theme 4: Our Planet

Creating a sustainable, nature-positive city

• Re-naturing the city and improving the food system
• Creating a sustainable circular economy
• Innovating to Net Zero

Theme 5: Compassionate City

Making Belfast a welcoming, caring, fair and inclusive city - leaving no one behind

• Inclusive growth and anti-poverty
• Children and young people
• Older people
• Good relations and shared future

4. Relevant strategies, policies and research

There are a range of Belfast City Council strategies that underpin or support the Belfast Agenda. These include the Corporate Plan, Local Development Plan, Equality Scheme, Language Strategy, Good Relations Strategy, Inclusive Growth Strategy and Belfast Economic Strategy among others.

This draft EQIA was also informed by: 

• Findings from the consultation on the Belfast Agenda 2017–21
• The Belfast Agenda 2017–21 Stage 7 Monitoring Report [Footnote 1]
• Findings from pre-consultation on the 2023–2027 refresh as outlined above
• Analysis of available data. For the purposes of the executive summary, an overview of key findings has been arranged under each of the nine Section 75 categories.

Religious background/political opinion

Belfast City Council’s 2021 residents’ survey found that 67 per cent of residents agree that their local area ‘is a place where people from different religions and political backgrounds get on well together’. This is a decrease from 79 per cent in 2017.

People of other or no religion are more likely to rate their health as good or very good (78 per cent compared to 74 per cent of people of Catholic religion and 70 per cent of people of Protestant religion). [Footnote 2]

School leavers from a Catholic community background are more likely to attain three A-levels (A to C) and five GCSEs (including Maths and English) with Catholic girls most likely to attain qualifications of this standard. Protestant boys are least likely to attain three A-levels (A to C) while boys from neither a Protestant nor Catholic community background are least likely to attain five GCSEs (including Maths and English). [Footnote 3]

In 2021 in the private sector for the first time, the share of the total monitored workforce from the Protestant and Roman Catholic communities was equal (50/50). [Footnote 4]

In 2021/22, there were 180 presenting as homeless due to intimidation including paramilitarism and sectarianism. [Footnote 5] The Equality Commission NI’s (ECNI) Statement on Key Inequalities in Housing and Communities in Northern Ireland (2016) [Footnote 6] found that Catholic household reference person applicants for social housing continue to experience the longest waiting times.

Ethnic background

In Belfast City Council’s 2021 residents’ survey, 72 per cent of residents agree that their local area ‘is a place where people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds get on well together’. This is a decrease from 79 per cent in 2017. Across NI, Racial Equality Indicators reported an increase in respondents reporting that they were prejudiced against people from minority ethnic communities (from 24 per cent in 2014 to 30 per cent in 2021).

However, the percentage of respondents with friends from a minority ethnic background increased from 42 per cent to 57 per cent. [Footnote 7]

There were 571 incidents and 369 crimes recorded with a racist motivation in Belfast in 2021. [Footnote 8] Inequalities Experienced by Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Traveller people found that three-quarters of participants feel safe and secure in the city (compared to more than 90 per cent of the city’s residents overall), and 38 per cent have experienced a racist hate crime in Belfast. [Footnote 9]

On Census Day 2011 across NI, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, including Asian (90 per cent), Black (90.4 per cent) or Mixed (92.6 per cent) reported considerably higher rates of good or very good health than the white population (79.3 per cent) with the exception of the Traveller ethnic group: only 66.3 per cent reported that they were in good or very good health. [Footnote 10] Certain diseases and ill health are more prevalent among certain ethnic groups. [Footnote 11] Language is a particular barrier to accessing health services. [Footnote 12]

Minority ethnic and migrant pupils in schools increased from 1,366 in 2002 to 17,400 in 2020, and 4.3 per cent of the Belfast population aged 3 and over do not have English as their main language (higher than the NI average of 3.1 per cent). [Footnote 13] 

School leavers from a minority ethnic background are more likely to leave school without any formal qualifications (2.4 per cent compared to 0.6 per cent of white school leavers). [Footnote 14] However, ECNI estimates that between just over half and 8 out of 10 Traveller children leave school with no GCSEs. [Footnote 15]

In its 2018 report on Key Inequalities in Employment, [Footnote 16] ECNI identified persistent inequalities in employment spanning 2007 and 2016:

• Irish Travellers are less likely to be in employment than all other ethnic groups
• Migrant workers are subject to industrial and occupational segregation
• Migrant workers and refugees face multiple barriers to employment such as lack of recognition for qualifications and language proficiency
• Migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation

In 2021/22, there were 180 people presenting as homeless due to intimidation including racial abuse. [Footnote 17] Belfast City Council’s 2021 report identifies housing quality and overcrowding are the most significant issues facing migrant and minority ethnic residents of Belfast. [Footnote 18]

Gender

The average life expectancy for the NI population is 78.4 for males and 82.2 for females. [Footnote 19] Women are, however, more likely to experience long-term health problems and are less likely than men to rate their health as good or very good. [Footnote 20] Men (16 per cent) are less likely than females (25 per cent) to have a high GHQ12 score, which could indicate a mental health problem.[Footnote 21]

According to Belfast City Council’s 2021 residents’ survey, women are less likely than men to feel safe in their local area at night (84 per cent compared to 88); feel safe in the city centre during the day (80 per cent to 87); and feel safe in the city centre at night (50 per cent to 64). The PSNI has recorded an increase in transphobic incidents and crimes since 2017/18. [Footnote 22]

In its 2017 report on Key Inequalities in Education, [Footnote 23] ECNI found that lower educational attainment impacts on male entry in to higher education with women more likely to go on to higher education. However, men are much more likely than women to enter in to STEM subjects (such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

In Belfast between October and December 2022, 69.9 per cent of females and 63.9 per cent of men were in employment and 28.1 per cent of females were economically inactive compared to 31.3 per cent of males. [Footnote 24] Over the same period, 16.9 per cent of men are self-employed compared to 6.5 per cent of women, [Footnote 25] and in 2021, the female share of private sector was 45.6 per cent and 65.8 per cent In the public sector. [Footnote 26]

The gender pay gap for all employees in NI was 8.4 per cent in favour of males in 2022 (that is, for every £1 earned by men, women earned 92p). [Footnote 2027] Frequently cited explanations for the gender differential in employment include women are more likely to be in part-time or lower paid employment. 

In 2021/22, those presenting as homeless included 5,375 men and 2,806 women. [Footnote 28]

Men are more likely than women to feel safe using public transport and consider active forms of transport such as cycling. [Footnote 29]

Age

On Census Day 2021, 14.7 per cent of Belfast’s population was aged 65. It is predicted that by 2041, 20.4 per cent of the population will be aged 65 or over, including 3.3 per cent ‘very elderly’ (that is aged 85 and over), an increase of 4,229 people or 58.2 per cent. [Footnote 30]

37.1 per cent of people aged 65 and over have no limiting health problems or disabilities. This is compared to 73.3 per cent across the general population. [Footnote 31] People aged 65 and over are also less likely to report good or very good health (42.9 per cent) than the general population of all ages (75.8 per cent). [Footnote 32] In the Belfast City Council’s 2021 residents’ survey, people aged 65 and over also reported the highest levels of loneliness.

According to the Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey 2020, 1 in 8 children and young people in NI experienced emotional difficulties; 1 in 8 met criteria for a mood or anxiety disorder; boys aged 5 to 10 years had higher levels of emotional problems than girls in the same age group (19.3 per cent compared to 15.3 per cent); while 19.7 per cent of young women aged 16 to 19 had emotional problems compared to 6.7 per cent of young men of the same age. [Footnote 33]

The 2021 Belfast residents’ survey found that residents generally report high levels of feeling safe during the day in their local area. However, perceptions of safety decrease at night, particularly among people aged 65 and over. Residents aged 65 and over also feel less safe in the city centre compared to the other age groups.

The residents’ survey also found that older people were least likely to agree that they could access all services they needed and more likely to disagree that they were able to have a say on how services are run.

Between 2016 and 2021, there has been a general increase in the proportion of working age adults with qualifications. A higher proportion of females and those aged 25 to 34 were qualified to level 2 and above. A higher proportion of males and 16-to-24-year-olds held a qualification between level 3 and 5. [Footnote 34] Those aged 50 to 64 were the least likely to participate in education or training. [Footnote 35]

The NI Assembly’s research in to the digital divide in NI found a strong relationship between age and digital exclusion, [Footnote 36] while the ECNI also notes that digital technology in itself may be a barrier for lifelong learning among older people. [Footnote 37]

ECNI’s analysis of historical Labour Force Survey found that at nearly all points, young people aged 18 to 24 had the highest rates of unemployment. Young men in particular experience higher unemployment. [Footnote 38]

Older people aged 50 to 64 are less likely to be in employment and more likely to be economically inactive than those aged 25 to 49. [Footnote 39]

The Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality Report for 2021/22 [Footnote 40] found that at 18 per cent, children are at a higher risk of living in relative poverty than the overall population.

According to Queen’s University Belfast’s NI Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA), over a third of older people do not have enough money for household needs. One in 10 reported that this kept them from keeping their house in a reasonable state, and 8.5 per cent reported that this impacted on their choice of food.[Footnote 41] The Housing Executive’s House Condition Survey (2016) indicated that in 2016, 22 per cent of all households were in fuel poverty, rising to 34 per cent of older households and 38 per cent of households headed by a person aged 75 or over. [Footnote 42]

ECNI’s Statement on Key Inequalities in Housing and Communities in Northern Ireland (2016) [Footnote 43] found that:

• Households with a younger household reference person (those aged under 35 years old) may find it more difficult to obtain private rented homes.
• Households with an older reference person, those aged 60 years old or older, are more likely to live in non-decent homes and homes that require adaptations.

According to Belfast City Council’s 2021 residents’ survey, car, van or motorcycle was the preferred method of transport for travelling to work or study for people aged 25 and over, while young people aged 16 to 24 favoured public transport. However, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) found that young people are most likely to never use public transport. [Footnote 44]

When asked what actions they had taken to help prevent climate change in the 2021 Belfast residents’ survey, 30 per cent of people aged 65 and over had not taken any actions compared to 18 per cent of those aged 16 to 24.

Disability

According to the 2021 Census, just over 1 in 4 Belfast residents (26.7 per cent) have a long-term health condition or disability that limits their day-to-day activities. [Footnote 45]

In 2022/2023 across NI, disability-motivated hate incidents were 139, and disability-motivated hate crimes were 102. These are the highest figures since recording began in 2005/06. [Footnote 46]

In 2020/2021, 77.7 per cent of school leavers with special educational needs (SEN) attained 5 GCSEs (including Maths and English), and 52.9 per cent attained 3 A-levels (grades A to C). [Footnote 47] However, the Labour Force Survey for October to December 2022 found that disabled people are less likely to be qualified above GCSE and more likely to have no qualifications than the general population. [Footnote 48]

According to the 2021 Census, 11.2 per cent of Belfast residents are economically inactive because they are long-term sick or disabled. [Footnote 49] Key inequalities in relation to disability and employment include:

• the employment rate for people with disabilities (38.1 per cent) is 14 percentage points below the rate for non-disabled people (80.3 per cent).
• average weekly earnings of disabled people are £103 lower than the earnings of non-disabled people. [Footnote 50]

Disabled people are less likely to be satisfied with their homes than people without a disability. [Footnote 51] People with a learning disability are not always afforded an opportunity to live independently, and many disabled people live in homes that are not adequate. [Footnote 52]

According to DfI statistics, 37 per cent of disabled people never use public transport compared to 32 per cent of people without a disability. [Footnote 53]

Sexual orientation

According to a Rainbow Project 2013 report, LGBTQ+ people score less well on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale; 70.9 per cent of research participants had experienced depression; and 46.9 per cent had experienced suicide ideation. The report also found barriers to accessing health services including lack of relevance and stigmatisation. [Footnote 54]

ECNI found that LGBTQ+ pupils are more vulnerable to bullying with over six out of ten trans pupils and students with same sex attraction having been called names related to their sexual or gender identity. [Footnote 55]

ECNI’s Key Inequalities in Employment identified that LGBTQ+ people are also subject to prejudicial attitudes in the workplace which may impact on their ability to participate, sustain and progress in employment. [Footnote 56]

In 2021/2022, 180 people presented as homeless due to intimidation including due to sexual orientation. [Footnote 57] ECNI’s Statement on Key Inequalities in Housing and Communities in Northern Ireland found that LGBTQ+ people can feel unsafe in their own homes and neighbourhoods and are at high risk of being the victim of hate crimes. [Footnote 58]

There were 159 incidents and 104 crimes recorded with a homophobic motivation in Belfast in 2021. [Footnote 59] The sharpest increase in the number of homophobic motivated incidents and crimes has been recorded in the latest two financial years (2020/2021 and 2021/2022). [Footnote 60]

People with and without dependants

According to the 2021 Census, 12.3 per cent of Belfast residents provide unpaid care. People aged 40 to 64 (20.1 per cent) and 65 and over (12.0 per cent) are most likely to provide unpaid care. [Footnote 61]

Also according to the 2021 Census, 5.2 per cent of Belfast residents are economically inactive because they are looking after the home or family. The NI average is 3.8 per cent. [Footnote 62]

In Key Inequalities in Employment, [Footnote 63] ECNI identified persistent inequalities in employment spanning 2007 and 2016 including:

• Women experience a lower employment rate and a higher economic inactivity rate when they have dependants
• Lone parents with dependants and carers experience barriers to employment
• Women, lone parents with dependants and carers providing less than 49 hours of care are more likely to be in part-time work
• Women and lone parents experience occupational segregation (underrepresented in higher-status occupations and overrepresented in lower status occupations)

Couples without children have the lowest risk of being in relative poverty (10 per cent), [Footnote 64] while carers and single-parent families are among groups more likely to be impacted by poverty. [Footnote 65]

In 2021/2022, those presenting as homeless included 4,733 families. [Footnote 66] ECNI’s Statement on Key Inequalities in Housing and Communities in Northern Ireland (2016) found that household reference persons without dependent children living in the private rented sector are more likely to live in non-decent homes. [Footnote 67]

Marital status

Across NI, single people (79 per cent) and people who are married or in a civil partnership (77 per cent) are more likely to rate their health as good or very good compared to separated (53 per cent), divorced (51 per cent) and widowed people (50 per cent). [Footnote 68]

ECNI identified persistent inequalities in employment spanning 2007 and 2016 including:

• Lone parents with dependants experience barriers to employment
• Lone parents providing less than 49 hours of care are more likely to be in part-time work
• Lone parents experience occupational segregation [Footnote 69]

The Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality Report 2021/2022 found that the family type at the highest risk of being in poverty was single female pensioners (31per cent). [Footnote 70]

In 2021/2022, there were 1,611 people presenting as homeless due to martial/relationship breakdown and 1,110 due to domestic abuse. [Footnote 71]

5. Assessment of impacts

The revised Belfast Agenda 2023–2027 has at its core the aim of improving the wellbeing of all Belfast citizens, with the potential to promote equality of opportunity and good relations and address issues of exclusion and marginalisation, and the analysis of available data reveals little concrete evidence to suggest that the proposals for action are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the nine Section 75 dimensions.

At the same time, it would be naïve not to recognise the diverse ways in which issues attached to recognised inequalities may or may not be adversely affected or improved by the outworking of the revised agenda. Equally, the benefits accruing from this agenda are not likely to be spread evenly across the population of Belfast, and where it has the potential to widen, narrow or leave unaffected existing inequalities should be acknowledged and addressed within the EQIA.

With this in mind, it is argued that the issues and opportunities outlined below are worthy of particular consideration during the forthcoming consultation, with an explicit understanding that the subsequent roll-out of the revised agenda must be carried out mindful of these considerations.

• Overall, the pre-consultation on the draft Belfast Agenda 2023–2027 highlighted considerable support from a range of Section 75 representative groups. However, participants reflected that ‘less heard’ voices must be given opportunities to be involved in design and delivery going forward. 
• It was also argued that children and young people should be afforded a greater voice, and young people were identified as a priority group in relation to employability and skills and educational attainment.
• One of the key ambitions of the agenda is to create 46,000 additional jobs within Belfast. While this ambition is laudable, the path from ambition to delivery should acknowledge that not all sections of the community may automatically benefit from this uplift. For example, the so-called ‘digital divide’ means those with limited or no access to technology may face further marginalisation. In addition, there is evidence that in the labour market, automation may have a differential impact on sectors traditionally characterised by greater numbers of women and those from minority communities.
• Lifelong learning was a gap that pre-consultees identified in relation to the educational inequalities. A proportion of NI’s population have significant literacy and numeracy problems, and there is often correlation with membership of Section 75 groups (such as age, ethnicity and disability).[Footnote 72]
• Protestant boys, women, returnees, Irish Travellers, members of new communities and those with a disability or caring responsibilities are routinely cited as being disadvantaged in education and work.
• Historically a number of groups and communities (such as carers, lone parents and older people) have been seen as isolated or marginalised in relation to these mainstream economic and social activity or have experienced continuous cycles of deprivation (such as Irish Travellers and new communities). It is important to effectively engage such groups in the Belfast Agenda’s economic projects.
• Childcare in particular was identified as a major barrier for women, single parents and low-income workers in relation to various cross-cutting themes.
• During pre-consultation, older people felt that they had been disproportionately affected by the Covid pandemic but ‘reported that they couldn't see themselves in the Belfast Agenda’. While steps have been taken to address this perception through further engagement and in the revised draft Older people action plan, it is important to continue to take positive action.
• Across themes, placemaking is particularly important for characterising the city as welcoming and safe for young people, LGBTQ+ communities, women and girls generally, disabled people and those from minority ethnic communities. 
• Disabled people, older people, people with limited mobility, parents with prams and buggies and newcomers are likely to encounter additional barriers to the use of public transport and active travel generally.
• Overall, some pre-consultees suggested that there should be a greater focus on access and inequalities throughout the revised agenda, and particularly for disabled people, carers and those living in more deprived parts of the city.

• Several consultees stated that they would welcome further focus on good relations and peace building within the revised Belfast Agenda, while others argued that the existing grounds were too restrictive and that the list should be extended to a wider range of vulnerable people and groups.
• In relation to the good relations and shared future priority, consultees queried the lack of reference to peace walls. Others felt that paramilitarism, sectarianism and racism should be explicitly named and challenged.
• Consultees also felt there could be greater focus on interculturalism, intersectionality and on language and culture. Some participants felt that further reference to the Irish language in the revised agenda may go some way towards addressing perceptions that it is politic or divisive, instead recognising the positive contribution that indigenous and minority languages can make to the city.
• Finally, with regard to those who are seen as most marginalised within Belfast, there was particular concern expressed for people with refugee status and people seeking asylum.

While on the one hand it can be argued that many of these deep-seated structural issues lie beyond the scope of the revised community plan, it can also be argued that all Belfast Agenda 2023–2027 projects and initiatives should proceed mindful of the increasingly diverse needs of an increasingly diverse Belfast population, and without due regard to these concerns then the capacity for change will be limited.

6. Consideration of measures

While the overall impact of the revised Belfast Agenda 2023–2027 is likely to be positive, the pre-consultation phase helped confirm key equality of opportunity and good relations issues that it must recognise and address. ECNI also highlights that key inequalities and good relations should not be considered as peripheral concerns but as central to achieving economic growth, personal wellbeing and prosperity within the city.

Potential adverse impacts on ‘at risk’ groups have been identified in the Assessment of impacts section above, but the duty to translate sound theory into good practice must then reside not only with the architects of the Belfast Agenda but with all delivery agents through appropriate engagement. This could include:

• an explicit commitment by all partners and agents to meet Section 75 duties
• a recognition of the need for diverse means of communication and engagement to access marginalised and hard-to-reach groups and communities
• an acknowledgement of varying levels of educational attainment, including literacy, numeracy and digital skills
• a need to have concern for access and mobility considerations in all projects
• a recognition that longstanding structural inequalities may serve to make particular initiatives more or less accessible to particular Section 75 groups and communities
• the need to adopt a flexible and responsive approach to managing good relations

This list is not exhaustive, but instead it may be seen as indicative of how Section 75 principles can be mainstreamed into the Belfast Agenda.

In addition to these considerations, the refreshed agenda must incorporate mechanisms for considering the real-world impact on equality of opportunity and good relations through a robust monitoring strategy. Specifically, monitoring systems should be put in place that will identify any differential impacts on Section 75 groups. This strategy must be mindful of identifying and addressing existing gaps in data and should report on a regular basis.

At this draft stage of the Belfast Agenda, a principled commitment to the above should help to ensure that the agenda ‘in theory’ at a strategic level has the capacity to help promote equality of opportunity and good relations and can deliver on its themes and priorities.

The translation of theory to practice, however, can be thwarted by many logistical constraints, including resources, and how individual actions are delivered must be subject to scrutiny during future implementation. Nevertheless, at this time a commitment can be made that each programme or project under the revised agenda will be subject to equality screening in line with Belfast City Council’s Equality Scheme and in accordance with the criteria set out in the guidance produced by ECNI.

7. Consultation

The public consultation in respect of this EQIA will last for a period of 12 weeks from 7 August to 30 October 2023. All Equality Scheme consultees will be notified of the availability of this EQIA report and invited to comment. A general communications document will be prepared and issued through various sources to make the public aware of the EQIA and information about the EQIA will be placed on Belfast City Council’s website. The Council will arrange and facilitate the following consultation events: The Council will arrange and facilitate:

• 1 public consultation event to be held at City Hall on 5 September at 6.30pm
• 1 public event, targeted towards equality organisations, to be held at City Hall on 6 September at 2pm
• 2 online public consultation events on 20 September at 7pm and 21 September at 3pm

All consultation documents can be made available in hard copy, email and alternative formats on request and can be accessed on the Council’s website at yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk/draft-belfast-agenda

At the end of the consultation period, the EQIA report will be revised to take account of all comments received from consultees. The EQIA final decision report will then be submitted to Belfast City Council. A final summary report will be made available on the Council’s website.

Footnotes

[Footnote 1] This is a step in the statutory EQIA process

[Footnote 2] www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/general-health-tables-health-survey-northern-ireland-marital-status-and-religion-breakdowns

[Footnote 3] www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/school-enrolments-northern-ireland-summary-data; www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/school-leavers-202021

[Footnote 4] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/FETO%20Monitoring%20Reports/No32/MonReport32.pdf

[Footnote 5] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2021-22

[Footnote 6] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/HousingCommunities-KeyInequalitiesStatement.pdf

[Footnote 7] www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/publications/racial-equality-indicators-report-2014-2021

[Footnote 8] www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk

[Footnote 9] www.belfastcity.gov.uk/inequalities

[Footnote 10] www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk

[Footnote 11] The 2011 Census identified, for example, that diabetes is more prevalent in Asian and Black ethnic groups. www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk[5]

[Footnote 12] www.belfastcity.gov.uk/inequalities

[Footnote 13] www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/school-enrolments-overview

[Footnote 14] www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/school-enrolments-northern-ireland-summary-data

[Footnote 15] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/EducationKeyInequalities-KeyPointBriefing.pdf

[Footnote 16] www.equalityni.org/KeyInequalities-Employment

[Footnote 17] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2021-22

[Footnote 18] https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/inequalities#:~:text=from%20this%20research.-,Diversity%20in%20Belfast,and%20Black%20African%20(1.19%25)

[Footnote 19] www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/life-expectancy-northern-ireland-2019-21

[Footnote 20] www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk

[Footnote 21] https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/health-survey-northern-ireland-first-results-202122

[Footnote 22] www.psni.police.uk/sites/default/files/2022-12/Hate%20Motivated%20Incidents%20and%20Crimes%20in%20Northern%20Ireland%202004-05%20to%202021-22.pdf

[Footnote 23] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/EducationKeyInequalities-KeyPointBriefing.pdf

[Footnote 24] www.nisra.gov.uk/taxonomy/term/151/#toc-4

[Footnote 25] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/quarterly-labour-force-survey-tables-february-2023

[Footnote 26] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/FETO%20Monitoring%20Reports/No32/MonReport32.pdf

[Footnote 2027] https://datavis.nisra.gov.uk/economy-and-labour-market/employee-earnings-NI-2022.html

[Footnote 28] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2021-22

[Footnote 29] www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/walking-cycling-and-public-transport-northern-ireland-202122

[Footnote 30] www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/population/national-population-projections

[Footnote 31] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-health-disability-and-unpaid-care-tables

[Footnote 32] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-health-disability-and-unpaid-care-tables

[Footnote 33] https://online.hscni.net/our-work/social-care-and-children/youth-wellbeing-prevalence-survey-2020/

[Footnote 34] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/highest-qualification-level-2021

[Footnote 35] https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/highest-qualification-level-2021

[Footnote 36] https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/2021/11/16/an-overview-of-the-digital-divide-in-northern-ireland/

[Footnote 37] https://www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Consultation%20Responses/2021/DfE-DraftSkillsStrategyNI.pdf?ext=.pdf

[Footnote 38] www.equalityni.org/KeyInequalities-Employment

[Footnote 39] www.equalityni.org/KeyInequalities-Employment

[Footnote 40] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/system/files/publications/communities/ni-poverty-income-inequality-report-202122.pdf

[Footnote 41] www.makinglifebettertogether.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Age-Friendly-Belfast-Baseline-2022.pdf

[Footnote 42] The 2021 survey has been delayed until 2022 as a result of the pandemic.

[Footnote 43] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/HousingCommunities-KeyInequalitiesStatement.pdf

[Footnote 44] www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/walking-cycling-and-public-transport-northern-ireland-202122

[Footnote 45] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-health-disability-and-unpaid-care-tables

[Footnote 46] www.psni.police.uk/system/files/2023-05/443047986/Hate%20Motivations%20Bulletin%20Period%20ending%2031st%20March%202023.pdf

[Footnote 47] www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/school-leavers-202021

[Footnote 48] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/quarterly-labour-force-survey-tables-february-2023

[Footnote 49] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-labour-market-tables

[Footnote 50] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/communities/dfc-disability-within-northern-ireland-labour-market-2022.pdf

[Footnote 51] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2021-22

[Footnote 52] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/HousingCommunities-KeyInequalitiesStatement.pdf

[Footnote 53] www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/walking-cycling-and-public-transport-northern-ireland-202122

[Footnote 54] www.rainbow-project.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/through_our_minds.pdf

[Footnote 55] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/EducationKeyInequalities-KeyPointBriefing.pdf

[Footnote 56] www.rainbow-project.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TOE_mcd.pdf

[Footnote 57] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2021-22

[Footnote 58] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/HousingCommunities-KeyInequalitiesStatement.pdf

[Footnote 59] www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk

[Footnote 60] www.psni.police.uk/sites/default/files/2022-12/Hate%20Motivated%20Incidents%20and%20Crimes%20in%20Northern%20Ireland%202004-05%20to%202021-22.pdf

[Footnote 61] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-health-disability-and-unpaid-care-tables

[Footnote 62] www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-labour-market-tables

[Footnote 63] www.equalityni.org/KeyInequalities-Employment

[Footnote 64] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/system/files/publications/communities/ni-poverty-income-inequality-report-202122.pdf

[Footnote 65] www.jrf.org.uk/report/poverty-northern-ireland-2022

[Footnote 66] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2021-22

[Footnote 67] www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/HousingCommunities-KeyInequalitiesStatement.pdf

[Footnote 68] www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/general-health-tables-health-survey-northern-ireland-marital-status-and-religion-breakdowns

[Footnote 69] www.equalityni.org/KeyInequalities-Employment

[Footnote 70] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/system/files/publications/communities/ni-poverty-income-inequality-report-202122.pdf

[Footnote 71] www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2021-22

[Footnote 72] https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=NIR&treshold=5&topic=AS