In view of the obligation of public authorities, set out in Schedule 9 Section 4 (2) (b) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, to regularly assess  their directives when it comes to equality of opportunity and to seek advice the Equality Commission recommends the execution of an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA).

An 'Equality Impact Assessment' refers to the process of viewing and assessing official practices and policies from the perspective of disadvantaged people. In this way fairness and involvement of persons with protected characteristics should be guaranteed and promoted. According to the rules of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, an Equality Impact Assessment should be an integral part of the strategy and policy development process and thus be proactive and non-reactive. It should also be stressed that an EQIA is a continuous process that reviews existing practices and policies and identifies the need for further action.

Particular attention within an EQIA is placed on possible unintended consequences of certain measures and/or guidelines. In order to prevent this or prevent damage already done, it is of utmost importance that the EQIA is not an individual but an overall task of the institution. Equality Impact Assessments, consultations, relevant data analyses and expertise from the Equality Commission ideally form the foundation upon which new measures are adopted and old ones are reviewed. In addition to an Equality Impact Assessment, Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires that the implementation of equality objectives requires the promotion of positive attitudes towards people with disabilities and their participation in public life.