Ms Emily Logan:

It is probably fair to say - Dr. Murphy can chip in if I am wrong - the spirit of the legislation and the way it has been articulated demonstrate that it is the commission's job and role to encourage public bodies and Departments. We do not our role as necessarily being providing a service but more as encouraging Departments to, institutionally and politically, embed this thinking in their work. However, we do see ourselves as having a legitimate role in interacting with the committee.

Before I started, I should have introduced Dr. Mary Murphy who is a political sociologist and Mr. Laurence Bond, one of our senior members of staff and the head of research who has been working in the area of equality for 15 years.