WELCOME TO THE
CONSULTATION ON THE DISABILITY ACTION PLAN

The Special EU Programmes Body is conducting a public consultation on their Draft Disability Action Plan.

This Disability Action Plan is an important document in that it is a statement of the Special EU Programmes Body's commitment to and proposals for fulfilling the statutory obligations in compliance with Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended by the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order 2006). This Act places new duties on public authorities, when carrying out their functions to have regard to the need:

• to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and
• to encourage participation by disabled people in public life.

The Plan is also important because it outlines how disability issues can be more effectively mainstreamed within the Special EU Programmes Body, thus ensuring that they are central to the whole range of policy decision-making within the Body.

The consultation on the Draft Disability Action Plan will be from 29 May 2007 and will conclude on 26 June 2007.

We would like your views on the consultation document and any other comments you may wish to make by 26 June 2007. The consultation document contains details of how you can send your comments to us.

If you have other documents or links which you think would help the consultation, please send details to us and we will place them on our website.

We intend to publish the responses you send to us. Please tell us if you do not want us to publish your response. We will provide copies of un-published responses under the Freedom of Information legislation. You can read published responses in the Responses Received section.

We look forward to receiving your comments.