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561 The Disability Discrimination Code of Practice (Goods, Facilities, services and Premises) Order (Northern Ireland) 1996
This Order stipulates 2nd December 1996 as the date when the Code of Practice on the Rights of Access to Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises comes into force.
327 The Disability Discrimination Code of Practice (Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999
This Order stipulates 1/10/99 as the date on which the Code of Practice on the Right of Access to Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises comes into effect.
No. 50 The Disability Discrimination Code of Practice (Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises) (Appointed Day) Order (Northern Ireland) 2004
Under Article 54A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland may prepare and issue codes of practice giving practical guidance: to - employers, service providers; to - promote equality of opportunity, encourage good practice in the field of employment and in access to goods, facilities services and premises. (01/03/04)
Employment Document Toolkit
Once you are registered you can unlock our free core employment guides to help you build documents, policies and procedures for your own organisation.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2019
This instrument amends the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979 (“the 1979 Order”) to give effect to changes to a criminal record ‘filtering scheme’ that allows some old and minor spent convictions to be ‘filtered, so that they are no longer disclosed and cannot be taken into account in employment decisions in certain circumstances. The 1978 Order makes it possible for certain convictions to become “spent”, which means that after a specified period a person can be treated for certain purposes as if the conviction had never happened and they need not, for example, tell an employer about the conviction when applying for a job.
To ensure that the public is adequately protected, however, certain exceptions to the 1978 Order are set out in the 1979 Order so that, for specified professions and occupations that typically involve a high degree of trust and often involve vulnerable persons, applicants must declare all past convictions when asked. The 1979 Order is amended periodically to ensure that the access to the criminal record disclosure regime keeps pace with changes in public risk; to ensure that disclosure regimes remain consistent across jurisdictions where appropriate; and to maintain the public trust and protection process.
This Order, the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2019 (“the 2019 Order”), stems from a Supreme Court judgment, which ruled that elements of the criminal record ‘filtering scheme’ operated by the Department of Justice were disproportionate. The ‘filtering scheme’ was established in 2014 following a review of the criminal records regime in Northern Ireland that was carried out by Sunita Mason during 2011, which recommended that the Department of Justice should filter old and minor convictions from standard and enhanced criminal record certificates; and to take account of the findings of two court cases concerning the disclosure of criminal record material at that time.
The terms of the scheme are that a conviction can be filtered after a period of 11 years (or 5.5 years for those under 18 at the time of the conviction), so long as the conviction was not for a specified offence as listed in the 1979 Order (e.g. serious violent and sexual offences; or offences of specific relevance for posts concerned with safeguarding children and vulnerable adults; etc.); did not attract a custodial sentence; and if there is no other conviction on the individual’s record.
The Supreme Court found that limiting the filtering scheme to a single offence, with the result that more than one old and minor conviction would be disclosed automatically, was disproportionate. The Department has, therefore, adjusted the terms of the scheme to allow more than one offence to be filtered in order to comply with the judgment.
The 2019 Order gives effect to this change by amending the 1979 Order to remove Article 1A(2)(c), which restricted the terms of the filtering scheme to a single conviction. The Department is satisfied that public protection is maintained, however, as the remaining elements of the filtering scheme will continue to ensure that there is no increased risk to the public as a result of this change.
Escalating unresolved issues
Some issues in the workplace cannot be resolved informally so it is important that there is a fair and clear escalation process where each side meets their responsibilities. The Labour Relations Agency can offer information, flowcharts and codes of practice to help. We also offer confidential and impartial conciliation, mediation and arbitration services to help parties resolve issues without needing to go to tribunal.
The Agency is a public body with statutory responsibilities so there is no charge for our services.
Maternity, Paternity and Parental leave
Pregnant employees are entitled to up to one year’s maternity leave. Paternity leave is available if certain criteria are met. Parents are also entitled to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave for each child up to their 18th birthday.
No. 163 The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (commencement No. 7) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001
This Order brings into operation aspects of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 relating to taxi drivers (taking guide dogs/hearing dogs), Departmental papers regarding exception applications and appeals.
Workplace policies
Clear workplace policies and procedures help organisations to be productive, efficient and maintain high levels of staff morale. Ensuring that everyone knows how and why things are done is a key component in establishing best employment practice. Check out our free 'Employment Document Toolkit' to create your own policies and procedures that adhere to legal requirements and best practice, and which meet the particular needs of your organisation.
440 The Disability Discrimination (Description of Insurance Services) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999
These Regulations make disability discrimination by an insurer against an employee unlawful as according to S.18 of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995).