Gay Rights Consultation To Begin

A public consultation to outline the rights of gay people is to begin next week, it is understood.

According to the BBC, the consultation, which will last for 12 weeks, will be conducted by the Office of First and Deputy First Minister and will help to design a draft strategy.

Some have hit out at the Sexual Orientation Strategy however by saying there has already been a delay in getting to this stage of the process. The strategy is designed to promote equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. It was first consulted upon in 2006 and a commitment to deliver the strategy was included in the 2007 devolved programme for the government. Since then, promises of delivering the plan have been announced, but none have yet been fulfilled.

Mike Nesbitt, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, is quoted in the press as saying: "This is not consulting on the strategy document, this is a pre-consultation phase, it will last 12 weeks, it will inevitably lead to protracted analysis.

"So I fear we won't see the strategy itself until 2015 potentially. That tells you, I think, that there are significant differences between the first minister and deputy first minister."

(JP)