Draft Disability Action Plan: A Consultation

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

• promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and
• encourage participation by disabled people in public life (‘the disability duties’).

Under Section 49B of the DDA 1995, the Electoral Commission is also required to submit to the Equality Commission a disability action plan showing how it proposes to fulfil these duties in relation to its functions.

As Head of the Electoral Commission, Northern Ireland, I can confirm that we are committed to implementing effectively the disability duties and this disability action plan. We will allocate the necessary resources (in terms of people, time and money) in order to implement effectively this plan and, where appropriate, build objectives and targets relating to the disability duties into corporate and annual operating plans.

We will also put appropriate internal arrangements in place to ensure that the disability duties are complied with and this disability action plan effectively implemented. We will ensure the effective communication of the plan to staff and to providing all necessary training and guidance for staff on the disability duties and the implementation of the plan.

Responsibility for implementing, reviewing and evaluating this disability action plan and the point of contact within the Electoral Commission will be:

Name: Mairaid McMahon    

Title: Manager, Electoral Commission Northern Ireland

Address: Ground floor, 4 Cromac Place, The Gasworks, Belfast, BT7 2JB

Telephone number: 028 9089 4029

Email: [email protected]

If you require this plan in an alternative format (such as in large print, in Braille, on audio cassette, easy read or on computer disc) and/or language, please contact the above person to discuss your requirements.

We confirm our commitment to submitting an annual progress report on the implementation of this plan to the Equality Commission and carrying out a five year review of this plan, or plans submitted to the Equality Commission over the five year review period.

A copy of this plan, our annual progress to the Equality Commission and our five year review of this plan will be published in the near future. 

Functions

Outlined below are the range of functions of the Electoral Commission.

The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity.

Our vision is to be a world-class public sector organisation – innovative, delivering great value and getting right what matters most to voters and legislators.

We plan to achieve this vision through a five year work programme with four goals:

• To enable the continued delivery of free and fair elections and referendums, focusing on the needs of electors and addressing the changing environment to ensure every vote remains secure and accessible
• To ensure an increasingly trusted and transparent system of regulation in political finance, overseeing compliance, promoting understanding amongst those regulated and proactively pursuing breaches
• To be an independent and respected centre of expertise, using knowledge and insight to further the transparency, fairness and efficiency of our democratic system, and help adapt it to the modern, digital age
• To provide value for money, making best use of our resources and expertise to deliver services that are attuned to what matters most to voters. This goal underpins and supports all of our work.

Public life positions

The range of public life positions which the Electoral Commission has responsibility for is as follows. Together our ten Electoral Commissioners constitute the Board of the Commission and ensure that the Commission discharges its functions. One of these Commissioners is the Chair of the Commission, and one is appointed specifically as a lead Commissioner for Northern Ireland. The Commissioners are appointed by Royal Warrant to exercise the functions of the Commission. The Commissioners are independent, non-partisan and accountable directly to Parliament.

Outlined below are the measures which we propose to take over the three year period of this disability action plan, together with performance indicators or targets.

The actions outlined below are designed both to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and to encourage their participation in public life. During the lifetime of this plan, there are several key activities and events that we will use to structure our activities:

• Modernising Voting research: this UK-wide study will explore views around what people think about the current way they can cast their vote, what is important to people when they vote and what would improve their voting experience. This study will include identifying any findings on the experiences of disabled people. We will use the findings to help us to identify any improvements to processes within the current framework as well as to inform any recommendations for changes to the system.
• Northern Ireland Canvass 2021: this exercise, carried out by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, will form the basis of a new electoral register, by canvassing households across Northern Ireland to ensure as many people as are eligible are registered accurately. We will run a Northern Ireland-wide public awareness campaign to encourage people to sign up to the electoral register.
• Accuracy and Completeness research: after the electoral canvass is complete, we will undertake research to assess both the accuracy and completeness of the new register. In this context, accuracy is a measure of the number of major and minor errors in the register, while completeness considers the percentage of people who are eligible to be on the register who are actually registered.
• Northern Ireland Assembly election 2022: we will run a Northern Ireland wide public awareness campaign to encourage people to register to vote and to provide them with the information they need to be able to cast their vote. We will publish a set of digital learning resources to promote the political literacy amongst young people in Northern Ireland. These resources will increase understanding of the provisions in place to ensure disabled people are able to cast their vote. The resources will also include guidance for educators to support the delivery of sessions in formal and informal educational settings.  We will also conduct research and analysis to assess levels of participation amongst varying demographics, including disabled people.
• Northern Ireland Local Government elections 2023: we will run a Northern Ireland wide public awareness campaign to encourage people to register to vote and to provide them with the information they need to be able to cast their vote. Our digital learning resources will provide information on the provisions in place to ensure disabled people are able to cast their vote. We will also conduct research and analysis to assess levels of participation amongst varying demographics, including disabled people.

We will also use the findings of previous and forthcoming post-election research, as well as reports such as Elections for everyone, to inform our work on engaging with representative groups in Northern Ireland, to identify any specific barriers or issues that exist in achieving higher levels of participation in elections. This will form the basis of our engagement with the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Assembly Parties’ Panel as outlined below.

Underpinning this will be our ongoing work to ensure Commissioners and staff across the organisation are aware of their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and that our communications and engagement work is designed to both enable access and promote positive attitudes towards disabled people. We have brought in an interim consultant ahead of appointing to a permanent role in spring 2021; their specific responsibilities will include the provision of advice and expertise to management to ensure organisational compliance with all equality legislation, as well as the incorporation of this Plan within the priorities for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.  

Measures to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and encourage the participation of disabled people in public life

Part 1: commencing 2021

Part 2: commencing 2022-3

Following engagement with the Equality Commission, we will publish this Plan for consultation in early 2021, using our website and social media channels to raise awareness and encourage responses. We will also engage directly with a range of organisations (outlined below) which represent disabled people, and endeavour to gather responses from those with lived experience of disability including mental health conditions through that process. The consultation will last for 3 months, and we will review responses and update the Plan accordingly. We will submit the final version of the Plan to the Equality Commission and make it available on our website.