Equality & Disability Duties Screening Template - Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 - Screening flowchart and template

Aug 31, 2026

A screening flowchart and practical template for public authorities to assess the likely impact of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 on equality of opportunity, good relations, and disability duties under Section 75. The template guides scoping, evidence gathering, and consultation details across Section 75 categories, then supports a screening decision on whether an EQIA is needed, mitigation is required, or alternative policies should be introduced. It also includes monitoring guidance and prompts to consider human rights, ending with senior-manager approval.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatDOCX

Pages68

Reading Time24 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Part 1. Policy scoping

Part 2. Screening questions

Part 3. Screening decision

Part 4. Monitoring

Part 5. Consideration of Human Rights

Part 6. Approval and authorisation

Information about the policy

Equality & Disability Duties Screening Template Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 Screening flowchart and template (Source: Section 75 of ‘The Northern Ireland Act 1998 – A Guide for public authorities April 2010’ (Appendix 1)) Introduction Part 1. Policy scoping – asks public authorities to provide details about the policy, procedure, practice and/or decision being screened and what available evidence you have gathered to help make an assessment of the likely impact on equality of opportunity and good relations. Part 2. Screening questions – asks about the extent of the likely impact of the policy on groups of people within each of the Section 75 categories. Details of the groups consulted and the level of assessment of the likely impact. This includes consideration of multiple identity and good relations issues. This section also includes two questions related to the Disability Duties. Part 3. Screening decision – guides the public authority to reach a screening decision as to whether or not there is a need to carry out an equality impact assessment (EQIA), or to introduce measures to mitigate the likely impact, or the introduction of an alternative policy to better promote equality of opportunity and/or good relations. Part 4. Monitoring – provides guidance to public authorities on monitoring for adverse impact and broader monitoring. Part 5. Consideration of Human Rights – please note this is not a Human Rights Screening form but rather a prompt that impacts on Human Rights should be considered. Part 6. Approval and authorisation – verifies the public authority’s approval of a screening decision by a senior manager responsible for the policy. A screening flowchart is provided overleaf. Part 1. Policy scoping The first stage of the screening process involves scoping the policy under consideration. The purpose of policy scoping is to help prepare the background and context and set out the aims and objectives for the policy being screened. At this stage, scoping the policy will help identify potential constraints as well as opportunities and will help the policy maker work through the screening process on a step by step basis. Public authorities should remember that the Section 75 statutory duties apply to internal policies (relating to people who work for the authority), as well as external policies (relating to those who are, or could be, served by the authority). Information about the policy Name of the policy The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 Is this an existing, revised or a new policy? New policy in the form of primary legislation for Northern Ireland. What is it trying to achieve? (intended aims/outcomes) The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 delivers on the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) commitments in regard to bringing forward local climate change legislation. The Act aims to set out a high level legislative framework for tackling climate change in Northern Ireland, through the setting of a net zero by 2050 target with associated interim net targets for the years 2040 and 2030 for overall greenhouse gases (GHG). By doing so, the Act is a local legislative driver for actions to reduce overall net GHG emissions across all sectors in Northern Ireland, and by meeting this net zero by 2050 target it is hoped it will end Northern Ireland’s contribution to global climate change. The Act sets a duty for all Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) departments to collectively meet the net zero by 2050 target and the associated interim targets, and the five yearly carbon budgets. The carbon budgets are caps on the amounts of net GHGs allowed to be emitted in Northern Ireland over a five year period, and they are stepping stones to the interim and long term emissions reduction targets. The Act however, does not set out what the required NICS departments’ policies and actions are nor what they should look like, in order to meet these targets and the carbon budgets. Each NICS department wi

FAQs

What is the purpose of policy scoping in the screening process?

Policy scoping prepares the background and context, sets aims and objectives, identifies constraints and opportunities, and helps policy makers work through screening step by step.

What kinds of questions are covered in the screening questions section?

It covers the extent of likely impact on groups within each Section 75 category, consultation details, the level of assessment, consideration of multiple identity issues, good relations issues, and two questions related to Disability Duties.

How does the template guide a screening decision?

It directs the public authority to decide whether an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) is required, whether mitigation measures should be introduced, or whether an alternative policy is needed to better promote equality of opportunity and/or good relations.

Aug 31, 2026

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