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CONTENTS
Foreword
by the Chief Executive of the Valuation Office Agency
- Introduction
- The Valuation Office Agency
- The Valuation Office Agency
Functions
- Assessment of Functions and
Policies for Relevance
- Arrangements for Assessing and
Consulting on Proposed Policies
- Arrangements for Monitoring
the Impact of its Policies
- Arrangements for Publication
of Assessments, Consultation and Monitoring Results
- Arrangements to Ensure Public
Access to Information and Services
- Arrangements for Training Staff
on Related Issues
- Specific Duties in Employment
- Complaints
Annex A - Action Plan
FOREWORD BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE VALUATION OFFICE
AGENCY
Gender Equality is a vital part of our overall Diversity and Equality policy, which is to value every member of staff and the differences between them and in doing so improve our business performance and assist in our aim to become a world-class organisation providing property services for the public sector. To achieve this aim we need to ensure we recruit and retain staff from the widest possible pool with the broadest range of skills and experience that also reflects the diversity of the customers we serve.
Our Diversity and Equality policy is embedded into our values and core behaviours, which are a fundamental part of all our policies and processes. As the Agency’s Diversity and Equality Champion I will ensure we all play an active role in the successful application and operation of the Agency’s Diversity and Equality policy. The society, which we serve, is constantly changing and we must ensure we change with it. We need to strive to move away from being reactive and driven by Diversity legislation and move to a more proactive approach where we are driven by real people and their issues.
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Andrew Hudson
Chief Executive
1. Introduction
This Gender Scheme will be published in 2007. Under the Gender Equality Duty 2007, the Agency is required to review its Scheme every three years. A review will offer us the opportunity to update and to report on achievements and on our Action Plans for the future.
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1.1 |
The Equality Act 2006 created the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) and introduced the Equality duty. Subsequent leglislation in the form of the Gender Equality Duty 2007 (GED 2007) aims to end the discrimination that people face because of their Gender. This Act gives women and men rights in the areas of:
- Employment
- Services
- Policy
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1.2 |
On 6 th April 2007 a new Gender Equality Duty 2007 (GED 2007) comes into force, which extends the provisions in the Equality Act 2006, including:
- Ensuring that discrimination law covers all the activities of the public sector
- Requiring public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for women and men
- Delivering services that meet the needs of woman and men more closely
- Developing policies with the different needs of women and men in mind
The Gender Equality Duty 2007 (GED 2007) places a duty on all public authorities, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to
- Promote equality of opportunity between women and men
- Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act
- Eliminate the harassment of people in respect of the their gender
- Promote positive attitudes towards women and men
The GED 2007 introduced this new duty on all public authorities, which now requires them to produce a Gender Equality Scheme under the Gender Equality Duty. |
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1.3 |
The Gender Equality Duty (GED) is an important new duty aimed at promoting gender equality across the public sector. The VOA is also covered by specific duties, which set out a framework to assist in meeting the general duty. All public authorities covered by the specific duties must:
- Publish a Gender Equality Scheme
- Publish an Action Plan taking forward the proposed actions from within the scheme
- State how they have involve women and men in producing the Scheme and Action Plan
- Have arrangements in place for assessing the impact of the activities of the authority on gender equality and improving these when necessary (gender equality impact assessments)
- Detail how the authority is going to use the information gathered, in particular in reviewing the effectiveness of its Action Plan, and preparing subsequent Schemes.
- Review and revise the Scheme.
- Actually improve and change things for gender issues.
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2. The Valuation Office Agency
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2.1 |
The Valuation Office is an Executive Agency of HM Revenue and Customs. HM Revenue and Customs has produced an Equality Scheme that is overarching and sets out the principles and practices that apply throughout the Revenue and Customs and its constituent parts, including the VOA. The VOA has produced its own individual Gender Equality Scheme that reflects its own special needs and priorities but the scheme will also be entirely consistent with the overarching scheme of the HM Revenue and Customs. |
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2.2 |
The VOA fully understands the importance of the Scheme in promoting gender equality to underpin its business performance standards.
The VOA sets out an annual action plan to ensure not only that it meets its obligations under the Gender Equality Duty 2007 but also that it achieves its broader diversity and equality goals . The Agency will continue to build upon existing measures already in place to promote gender equality. The Scheme will be a living document that will evolve and be reviewed and updated to reflect any changing priorities facing the VOA. The review process will be tied in with other management processes and will be part of the VOA's core business. |
3. Valuation Office Agency Functions
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3.1 |
The functions carried out by the Valuation Office Agency are listed below:
- The assessment of property for rating and council tax purposes in England and Wales
- Valuation services for HM Revenue and Customs in England, Wales and Scotland
- A range of Valuation and Estate Surveying Services for Other Government Departments, the Devolved Administrations and other Public Bodies
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4. Assessment of Functions and Policies for Relevance
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4.1 |
The VOA has assessed its functions listed in 3.1 above to see which are appropriate for inclusion in the Gender Equality Scheme. The assessment process included the following steps:
- The listed functions were tested to see whether or not they involved or affected members of the public in some way. If they did in any way then they remained in the assessment process
- A decision was then made to establish whether the inclusion of a particular function within the scheme was proportionate to the potential impact on the public. Any areas of doubt about the potential impact of a particular function on the public were included in the scheme.
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4.2 |
Following stages one and two in compiling the list of functions for inclusion in the scheme, the list will be:
- Used to determine any impact, or potential impact, for women and men. This should assist in determining the functions that may have the greatest impact on gender discrimination.
- The full list of VOA functions and impacts will be fully reviewed on a three year basis
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5. Arrangements for Assessing and Consulting on Proposed
Policies
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5.1 |
The VOA is committed to making gender discrimination a core developmental element of new policies in so far as is practicable, taking into account that core functions are based on Parliamentary Legislation. |
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5.2 |
The VOA will assess and consult on whether proposed policies would have any adverse effects on gender discrimination, in so far it is practicable and take into account the results of equality impact assessments and consultations carried out in relation to adopted or proposed policies. |
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5.3 |
The VOA will consult as appropriate with the Commission for Equality and Human Rights on relevant issues and take into account any proposals from the Commission. The VOA will also consult on equality impact assessments with appropriate personnel and organisations. |
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5.4 |
The consultative arrangements within the VOA scheme will be proportionate in relation to the nature of the proposed policy and the potential impact on the public. |
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5.5 |
If as a result of consultation it appears that any part of the proposed policy may have an adverse impact on gender discrimination, then the VOA Management Board will consider what alternative strategies are required or whether the adverse impact is avoidable and whether it can be justified in relation to the aims and importance of the policy. |
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5.6 |
The VOA will also work closely with representatives from internal Trade Union Side on taking forward diversity and equality issues. |
6. Arrangements for Monitoring
the Impact of its Policies
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6.1 |
The Agency will need to know the impact of its operational policies on its performance of the duties within the Gender Equality Duty 2007. This will help to assess progress towards equality of opportunity. |
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6.2 |
Within three years of this Gender Equality Scheme, the Agency will assess
- The extent and adequacy of existing monitoring within each of the operational policy areas, and
- The scope for extending it.
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6.3 |
In some cases, an equality impact assessment of an operational policy may identify a potential adverse impact on particular groups. If there is no feasible, alternative policy, the Agency will:
- Take steps to lessen any such adverse impact (mitigating action)
- Consider special monitoring and analysis to confirm the extent of the adverse impact and/or the success of any mitigating measures
- Take into account any information collected through the special monitoring arrangements in any future review of the policy
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7. Arrangements for Publication
of Assessments, Consultation and Monitoring Results
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7.1 |
The Valuation Office Agency will:
- Make publicly available the outcome of any equality impact assessment and of any monitoring undertaken
- Make this material available on the Valuation Office Agency's Internet Website
- Make this material available in printed form and in alternative formats on request to The Diversity Manager
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7.2 |
Any material the Valuation Office Agency publishes on equality impact assessments will include:
- The aims of the policy
- Details of the outcome of the assessments highlighting whether there is any adverse impact
- Relevant, available, monitoring data
- Details of consideration given to mitigate any adverse impact of the policy on the elimination of unlawful gender discrimination and the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations between women and men
- Details of any consideration given to alternative policies, which might better, achieve the elimination of unlawful gender discrimination and the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations between women and men
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8. Arrangements to Ensure Public Access to Information
and Services
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8.1 |
The Agency is committed to effective communication with members of the public. It will provide information in Braille, large print, audiocassette, and in languages other than English. Ongoing assessment will take account of the likely demand for information in such formats across its main policy areas. |
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8.2 |
The Agency also aims to make sure all of its services are fully accessible to all parts of the community and will ensure that no section of the community is deterred from visiting any office open to the public. All public offices will maintain a welcoming environment. In addition, the Agency will normally make arrangements to visit its customers at their home (for council tax cases) or their business premises (for rating cases) where this would be more practical for the parties concerned. |
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8.3 |
The Agency will make information available on the Valuation Office Agency Website at http://www.voa.gov.uk |
9. Arrangements for Training Staff on Relevant Issues
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9.1 |
The Agency through its Diversity and Equality Coordinators and Diversity team is engaged in delivering a programme of awareness and training to all staff on
- The Gender Equality Duty 2007 obligations
- Requirements of this Gender Equality Scheme, and
- The arrangements for equality impact assessment
This awareness training in some cases forms part of a broader equality and diversity programme |
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9.2 |
The Valuation Office Agency provides access to this Gender Equality Scheme for all staff on its internal web site |
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9.3 |
Specific training measures will include:
- Raising general awareness of the Gender Equality Scheme through internal communication channels
- Delivery of Gender Equality Duty 2007 awareness training to key staff
- Production of a Gender Equality Scheme training brief and delivery of awareness training to all staff
- A review of existing training briefs with a view to including the Gender Equality Duty 2007 - Equality duty references where appropriate, for example Induction Training
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10. Specific Duties in Employment
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10.1 |
The VOA is fully committed to ensuring that Gender Equality issues become integral to everything it does. The VOA's aim is to ensure that it recruits and retains the very best people from the widest possible pool and in doing so value its people as individuals and the differences between them |
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10.2 |
The VOA's policy is to promote diversity and equality in a proactive way and in carrying this out will eliminate any unjustifiable discrimination against anyone for any reason, including gender |
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10.3 |
The VOA undertakes to apply the same standards in its dealings with its staff as it does with the public under the Gender Equality Duty 2007 |
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10.4 |
The VOA will obtain, monitor, analyse and equality proof by gender all recruitment, vacancy filling, performance appraisal, training, grievances, disciplinary action and staff leaving the VOA. The VOA will also:
- Require Group Valuation Officers, District Valuers and Heads of Specialist Sections to be responsible for Gender within their own areas of responsibility. They will be responsible for gender equality planning, monitoring and evaluation progress as well as close liaison with the Diversity and Equality team. This requirement will form part of their Performance Management Narrative.
- Ensure all new job applicants are asked to provide their gender details that correlates with the guidance from the Cabinet Office
- The VOA will actively encourage its entire staff to provide accurate and up-to-date details of their gender so that the VOA's database correlates with the guidance from the Cabinet Office
- Continue to equality proof the results of the procedures on vacancy filling to test the process for fairness and impartiality.
- Provide all VOA staff that sit on recruitment and selection panels with appropriate training to ensure that all selection is based on fair and open principles.
- Require all new entrants to the VOA to receive induction training that will include a diversity and equality workshop or E-learning sessions on equality and diversity.
- Ensure that all VOA training is monitored and equality proofed so that gender and diversity issues are an integral part of training courses, including a diversity and equality session for the line manager course and the management development programmes.
- Seek staff feedback in the form of Staff Surveys
- Consult with staff through its own internal consultative groups
- Seek the views of staff leaving the VOA through exit questionnaires
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11. Complaints
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11.1 |
If anyone believes that he/she has been directly affected by a failure of the Valuation Office Agency to comply with this Gender Equality Scheme, they can make a complaint in the first instance to the Diversity and Equality Officer. |
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11.2 |
The Diversity Manager will then
- Acknowledge receipt of the complaint within three working days
Where the complaint relates to local operational policy, ensure an internal investigation of the complaint is carried out and that a response is sent to the complainant within one month of receipt |
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11.3 |
Where appropriate, the Equality and Diversity Manager will bring it to the attention of the VOA Management Board and let the complainant know that this has been done.
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