English: Jane Hutt MS Deputy Minister and Chief Whip at the Welsh Government.
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought huge
challenges to our communities.
It's become clear though that certain
groups have been affected more than
others, particularly
those from black and ethnic minority
groups, disabled people, women,
the elderly and those who are living in poverty.
In other words the people are
already
experiencing social and economic
disadvantage.
In March of this year I announced new
work to safeguard equality and human
rights in Wales, including the socio-economic duty and
this will affect some public bodies who
will need to consider how to protect the
most vulnerable people
in our society when they make decisions
about their priorities and the services
they deliver.
The duty is extremely important for
future generations for our young people.
It's a way to level the playing field
for those who are suffering
socio-economic inequalities
and will help to create a more equal Wales.
It will also be a really important
part of planning Wales's recovery from
the impact of COVID-19
making sure that we support most
vulnerable people in our communities
and build back better.
The socio-economic duty gives us an opportunity to do things differently in Wales.
It puts tackling inequality at the heart
of decision making,
and we'll build on the good work public
bodies are already doing.
I'm delighted to announce that the duty will take effect from the 31st of March 2021.
The public bodies who will deliver the
duty need time to understand what it
means for them
and to think about how to plan their
services around tackling inequality.
There's guidance on our website to help
public bodies to prepare
and I'm looking forward to working with them,
all of them, to help build a more equal Wales and to
change things for the better
for the people in Wales who need our help most.