PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1 Introduction

This is the fourth iteration of the Tribunal's Decentralisation Implementation Plan, which has been updated in light of the Third Report of the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) approved by the Cabinet sub-Committee on Decentralisation in September, 2007. Since the previous iterations, Departments have been instructed to consider the use of advance parties and/or the use of temporary accommodation. Significant progress has also been made by the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform and OPW in the procurement of a permanent site for the new office premises which is to be shared with the other decentralising agencies. The indicative target date set by the OPW for completion of construction and fit out of the Department's new offices is Q2 - 4 2009.

This Implementation Plan takes account of the additional data available from the Central Applications Facility, the likely timescales for availability of buildings, the possibility of an advance party and the use of temporary accommodation. The plan will be further developed and enhanced over the coming months to take account of clarifications on staffing issues which will facilitate the further development of detailed staffing and training plans for incoming staff, developments on property issues and the changing needs of business units as the process develops.

This present plan is structured in a way that presents the interconnectedness of the business of the Tribunal as a whole and sets out shared issues across all business units. Part 1 sets out the background, while Part 2 deals with some of the shared issues. A detailed risk assessment has been carried out which seeks to minimise any disruption to business and this is contained in Appendix 3. It emphasises the Tribunal management's ongoing commitment that the Tribunal's role and customer service delivery will not be diminished or prejudiced in anyway because of the high turnover in staff.

This Decentralisation Implementation Plan has been drawn up on the lines considered by the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) - people, property and business issues. Its overall strategic priority, as set out in its Strategy Statement 2008-2010, is to make a significant contribution to the Government Decentralisation Programme. We have drawn up this implementation plan focusing on a number of key challenges and opportunities:

- Expansion of our organisation;
- Closing the skills gaps;
- Effective recruitment and assignment;
- Succession planning;
- Optimum knowledge management;
- Culture of innovation; and
- Aligning our structures to support our strategies.

Decentralisation will bring with it an opportunity for us to evolve and redefine our structure. We will be exploring the possibility of establishing shared services with other decentralising bodies in Portarlington. We are also concerned to ensure that our decentralised office will have the best possible social and economic impact on the local area and are considering how best this can be achieved.

1.2 Background

The Government decision of December 2003 provided that the Equality Tribunal would move to Roscrea. It was subsequently agreed that the Tribunal would instead move to Portarlington, along with the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).

The Tribunal has been planning for the implementation of the Government decision and this is the fourth edition of the Decentralisation Plan. The second edition was published on 1 June, 2005, an addendum updating the Plan was produced on 21 November, 2005 and a further full revision was completed in December 2006. The present version takes account of significant developments since then.

1.3 Role, History and Values of the Equality Tribunal

The Equality Tribunal, which was established in 1999, is an independent quasi-judicial body, under the auspices of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. It was set up to hear or mediate claims of unlawful discrimination in relation both to employment and access to goods and services. It operates under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2007, the Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2004 and the Pensions Acts 1990 to 2004. Discrimination is unlawful on nine grounds: gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, race and membership of the Traveller community. In the last full year of operation (2006) the Tribunal received claims from more than 7,000 individuals, and half year figures from 2007 indicate a further increase in claims. Due to the high demand for our services there is currently a waiting list for claims.

The Mission of the Equality Tribunal is to contribute to a fairer society through providing a fair, accessible and impartial forum to remedy unlawful discrimination. It operates in accordance with the principles of natural justice and the Tribunal's core values: impartiality, professionalism, accessibility and timeliness.

1.4 Structure and Staffing

The Tribunal is headed by a Director and has six business units:
- Employment Equality
- Equal Status
- Mediation
- Secretariat
- Corporate Services
- Legal Unit.

The original number of staff decentralising was 28 but the Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform recently sanctioned an additional 14 staff subject to review in two year's time. This staff expansion reflects the commitment to equality as set out in the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement

The following table outlines the current sanctioned staff numbers on the basis of full-time equivalent posts:

1.4 Location, Existing Property and Facilities

The Tribunal currently occupies a high-quality, fully accessible building at 3 Clonmel Street, Dublin 2 convenient to public transport networks and car parking. The building was purpose-fitted for the Equality Tribunal to take account of its quasi-judicial and mediation functions. It has purpose built hearing and mediation rooms which are fully accessible. The building has been modified to ensure maximum accessibility, with the advice of the National Disability Authority. The rent on the accommodation is met from the OPW Vote.

APPENDICES:
1: Current Organisation Chart
2: Case load since establishment