"Declaration Of Principle And Intent To Be A Fair Employer": Signatories

Lord HYLTON
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the Northern Irish local authorities which have and which have not so far, signed the "Declaration of Principle and Intent to be a Fair Employer" drawn up by the Fair Employment Agency; and whether those that have failed to sign have given any reasons for their behaviour.

The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE (Lord Elton)
The information for Northern Ireland District Councils is as follows:

Signatories Belfast City CouncilDown District CouncilFermanagh District CouncilMagherafelt District CouncilNewry & Mourne District CouncilNewtownabbey Borough CouncilOmagh District Council

Non-Signatories Antrim Borough CouncilArds Borough CouncilArmagh District CouncilBallymena Borough CouncilBallymoney Borough CouncilBanbridge District CouncilCarrickfergus Borough CouncilCastlereagh Borough CouncilColeraine Borough CouncilCookstown District CouncilCraigavon Borough CouncilDungannon District CouncilLarne Borough CouncilLimavady District CouncilLisburn Borough CouncilLondonderry City CouncilMoyle District CouncilNorth Down Borough CouncilStrabane District Council
 The signing of the Declaration is a voluntary action. I understand from the Fair Employment Agency that, where reasons for failure to sign have been given, they usually contain the assertions that the body in question has never discriminated in employment, that signing the Declaration would suggest it had done so in the past, and that the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1976 is an unnecessary piece of legislation.