Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is a non departmental public body established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998.  Our powers and duties derive from a number of statutes which have been enacted over the last decades, providing protection against discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, race, religion and political opinion, sex and sexual orientation. We also have responsibilities arising from the Northern Ireland Act 1998 in respect of the statutory equality and good relations duties which apply to public authorities.

Our sponsor Department is The Executive Office which carries responsibilities for equality policy and legislation in the Northern Ireland Executive.