Official Report 216KB pdf
Item 3 concerns the committee's review of equalities, in particular the participation event that the committee has agreed to hold. Do members have any comments or questions on the paper that has been circulated?
I was slightly taken aback that no implementing body has been appointed to co-ordinate activities in the United Kingdom. The Government should be getting its act together a bit better than it is.
That is the next item.
I am sorry. Am I jumping an item?
Yes. I agree with you on that point, but we will come back to that item. We are talking about the participation event for the equalities review. We are considering the work that has been done over the past seven years. That will give us an opportunity to highlight some of the issues that we have heard about constantly and to draw up some kind of paper to pass on to the successor committee in the next parliamentary session. I am interested in members' views and questions.
I agree with the proposals in the approach paper, which are good ideas. I have a technical question about the crèche. The paper says that we will provide lunch for people who attend the participation event, but can we also ensure that they know that we have a crèche for visitors and that they are welcome to bring their children along? I am surprised at the number of people who do not know about it. Parliament staff are trying to put the message out through new leaflets, but it is still surprising that people do not know that the crèche exists and is for visitors.
That is a good point. I am aware that that information will be sent out.
That is agreed. The paper is good.
Are members happy for further arrangements for the participation event to be taken forward by me and the clerks?