Clause 79 - Disability and prospective disability
Crime (International Co-operation) Bill [Lords]
5:30 pm
Lady Lady Hermon (North Down, UUP)
I say it in relation to a gentlemen who suffered from polio when a teenager. He worked for a considerable time in Cambridge and chose to retire to the wonderful constituency of North Down, where he was required to undertake another assessment. Under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, every Department, including the Department of the Environment, has a duty to promote equality of opportunity between disabled and able-bodied people. Every person from the rest of the United Kingdom who had worked in any establishment and who came to Northern Ireland would not have had to sit another assessment. I want to hear from the Minister that those with disabilities will not be at a disadvantage under the clause. It is very simple.