Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to her oral contribution of 25 November 2020, Official Report, column 814, whether there have been Equality Impact Assessments which have not been published.

In compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), Whitehall Departments routinely undertake equality assessments of policy and operational changes.

The documentation produced as part of these assessments is often informally referred to as an ‘equality impact assessment’ but production of an equality impact assessment is not a legal requirement, and different documentary formats may be appropriate depending on the function in question.

There is no statutory requirement to publish assessments and there are certainly assessments that are not published. Decisions on publication are a matter for the public body concerned, given the particular circumstances.