Equity and fairness

Issues of equity and fairness arise in a number of different situations. They can be both positive (eg, the proposal helps elderly people in some way), or they could be negative (eg, the proposal will reduce the incomes of those in poorer parts of society).

In general, in this section of the RIA you should outline important positive and negative aspects of the proposals, particularly those that might affect one group more than another.

1. Issues of equity and fairness are sometimes obvious, for example:

• when a proposal impacts on one particular business sector or small firms,
• when a proposal impacts on one particular group of people, for example due to race, those in rural communities, gender, disability, age or a particular region;
• where the benefits are gained by a different group to those that bear the costs.

Note too that assessment of rural impacts is required for all policies. As part of the statutory duty which is placed on listed public authorities, including government departments, by the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, assessment of race equality impacts is required for all relevant policies. If your policy proposal will not have any race equality impacts then you should record this in the Equity and Fairness section of the RIA.

Screening the policy against a list of questions on distributional impacts is recommended at the initial RIA stage to help scope out the types of impacts or issues which should be considered further.

However, sometimes such issues are less clear, so effective consultation, both informal and formal, is important to establish where the impacts fall. You should also ensure your chosen option does not inadvertently create new groups of vulnerable people.

Further information

• See the Policy Makers’ Checklist
• the Better Regulation Task Force Report, Protecting Vulnerable People has a section on how to assess vulnerability and devise policies to deal with it.
• the Commission for Racial Equality works with public bodies, business and organisations from all sectors to promote policies and practices that will help to ensure equal treatment for all. It provides advice and assistance on how to assess the possible impact of policies on race and equality.