Corporate Policy & Equality

Section 75 Statutory Duties

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity:

between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation
between men and women generally
between persons with a disability and persons without
between persons with dependents and persons without.

We are also required to take account of the desirability of promoting good relations between people of different religious beliefs, political opinions or race.

Our Equality Scheme is in place to integrate equality and diversity into all areas of Council service delivery, decision-making and policy development.

Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended by the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order 2006) requires the Council, in carrying out its functions, to have due regard to the need to:

promote positive attitudes towards disabled people
encourage participation by disabled people in public life.

We are committed to the fulfilment of our disability duties in all parts of our organisation and our Disability Action Plan sets out how we intend to do this.

If you would like more information regarding equality matters, or if you have any questions or comments regarding our equality scheme, our contact details are below.

Rural Needs

The Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 requires the Council to have due regard to rural needs when:

developing, adopting, implementing or revising policies, strategies and plans
designing and delivering public services.

We are committed to undertaking rural needs impact assessments, monitoring activity and providing an annual report to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Equality Screening 2026-27

Equality Screening 2025-26

Head of Corporate Policy
Oifig an Iúir
Newry Office
O’Hagan House
Monaghan Row
Newry BT35 8DJ

Telephone: 0330 137 4388
Email: colin.moffett@nmandd.org

Corporate Policy and Equality Officer
Oifig an Iúir
Newry Office
O’Hagan House
Monaghan Row
Newry BT35 8DJ

Telephone: 0330 137 4887
Email: suzanne.rice@nmandd.org