Organisations will be helped by the Equality Authority to carry out reviews of their policy and practice on equal treatment, according to the author ity's Strategic Plan.
The authority will also carry out research on existing inequalities and develop codes of practice on sexual and other forms of harassment and on recruitment, according to its CEO, Mr Niall Crowley.
He was speaking yesterday at the announcement of the organisation's first Strategic Plan, for the years 2000-2002. The Equality Authority was established last October, replacing the Employment Equality Authority, which dealt with discrimination on the grounds of sex and marital status.
The Equality Authority deals with discrimination on nine grounds, including gender, marital and family status, and also disability, sexual orientation, age, religion, race and membership of the Traveller community. It is mandated to deal with discrimination in employment, but its remit will extend to the provision of goods and services when the Equal Status Act comes into operation later this year.
Mr Crowley said the Strategic Plan had been developed in a very favourable environment, which included economic growth, the political will to put in place equality legislation unique in Europe and a societal consensus supporting the equality agenda.
The authority would have to combine the roles of enforcement and development, he said. This included the provision of information and advice on the legislation, and, where appropriate, legal representation for complainants. They would be strategic in selecting casework, concentrating on establishing new precedents.
Its development role would include helping design codes of practice, based on consultation, and assisting in the promotion of positive action, which is provided for in the legislation.
Equality reviews would audit the situation in relation to equality within an organisation and identify strategies to improve them, he said.
The chairwoman of the authority, Ms Kate Hayes, said it was unique in Europe in terms of the range of issues it could address. The programme of work in the Strategic Plan would contribute to a transformation of the culture into one which celebrated the validity of differing identities and accommodated the wishes and goals of diverse groups.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue, said the Equality Authority would be properly resourced to carry out its work, and he had allocated £2.75 million to it for the year 2000. This would allow it to increase its staffing to 45, he said. The Equal Status Bill, currently before the Oireachtas, would apply to all goods and services available to the public, whether for payment or not, and irrespective of whether provided by the public or private sector.