Face Covering Discrimination in Businesses

Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland) did not have the information requested.

Dear Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland),

Can you please provide evidence that shows:

(i) DfE has communicated with local businesses and business leaders, their responsibilities in relation to “Goods, facilities and services” as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in order to ensure disability discrimination in relation to the wearing of face coverings is not occurring via mediums such as (but not limited to) point-of-sale messaging, posters at entrances - "No mask, No entry / No service", staff ignorance, social media posts, job advertising, tannoy announcements, in-store advertising. - where "reasonable Excuses" OR Exemptions are 𝐧𝐨𝐭 included in the messaging.

(ii) DfE has communicated with local businesses and business leaders, their responsibilities in relation to “Goods, facilities and services” as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in order to ensure disability discrimination in relation to the wearing of face coverings, is not occurring via mediums such as (but not limited to) point-of-sale messaging, posters at entrances - "No mask, No entry / No service", staff ignorance, social media posts, job advertising, tannoy announcements, in-store advertising - where "reasonable Excuses" OR Exemptions are 𝐧𝐨𝐭 included in the messaging.

(iii) "Reasonable Excuse" awareness - communications with local businesses and business leaders that describes responsibilities in relation to the “Reasonable Excuse” provision within legislation that protects against disability discrimination - especially the need to ask for proof of exemption OR compelling customers and/or staff to label themselves exempt - recognising that within guidance and legislation there is 𝐧𝐨 such requirement:

"There is no need to get a letter from a doctor or the government to show that you do not need to wear a face covering." - https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/cor...

(iiii) Communication with local businesses and business leaders that requires businesses to treat exemption messaging with equal importance to face covering wearing messaging, to ensure disability discrimination is not occurring.

(iiiii) Communication from other Northern Ireland Government bodies (not limited to - Department of Health, Executive Office, Public Health Agency) that reminds the Department for the Economy of its responsibilities to communicate messaging that ensures equality for all members of society.

Yours faithfully,

Catherine Edgar

DfE FOI, Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland)

1 Attachment

Good morning Ms Edgar

 

Thank you for your recent request for information, please see attached
acknowledgement.

 

Kind regards

 

Thomas Gribben
Information Management Unit
Department for the Economy
Netherleigh

 

Dear DfE FOI,

Thank you for your acknowledgement.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Edgar

Dear DfE FOI,

An important reminder for your considerations of the above:

https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/sites/defa...

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998

1.1 Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (the Act) requires the DfE to comply with two statutory duties:

Section 75 (1) In carrying out our functions relating to Northern Ireland we are required to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between:

- persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
- men and women generally;
- 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁;
- persons with dependants and persons without.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Edgar

DfE Covid19 Business Impacts, Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland)

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Edgar

 

Please see attached the Department of Economy’s reply to your recent
Freedom of Information request.

 

Please contact me if you have any queries.

 

Regards

 

Eamon Rooney

Covid 19 Restart and Business Intelligence gathering

 

Department for the Economy
Adelaide House
39-49 Adelaide Street
Belfast, BT2 8FD
[mobile number]
TextRelay: 18001 02890416758
Web: [1]www.economy-ni.gov.uk

 

References

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1. http://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/

Catherine Edgar

Dear Glynis,

Thank you for your response and further information.

Kind regards,

Catherine Edgar