The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
28
WQ.456/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY DEPUTY J.H. PERCHARD OF ST. SAVIOUR ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 22nd OCTOBER 2019
Question
Will the Chief Minister advise whether an Equalities portfolio' is being developed for the role of the Deputy Chief Minister and, if so, will he describe what work, if any, he is currently undertaking on this matter?
Answer
The Chief Minister recently lodged MD-C-2019-0127, which appoints Senator Lyndon Farnham as an Assistant Chief Minister on a "temporary basis whilst formal changes are made to the powers of the role of Deputy Chief Minister." This is due to the previous inability, as stated in the Ministerial Decision, for the Deputy Chief Minister to answer questions in the Assembly on behalf of the Chief Minister.
Alongside changes to enable the answering of questions in the Assembly, the Chief Minister is examining the role and responsibilities of the Deputy Chief Minister more widely and considering making changes. These however do not include the creation of an "equalities portfolio" for the Deputy Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister notes in answering this question, that Assistant Chief Minister, Deputy Carolyn Labey , sits on the Diversity Forum on behalf of the Chief Minister and as such provides a direct link to the Chief Minister for equality and diversity matters raised by the Forum. The Chief Minister further notes that Ministers generally are expected to have a responsibility to uphold equality and diversity within their respective areas of responsibility.
Cost of Producing Answer
The cost of answering this question was negligible