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Statement following the last formal meeting of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Disability Advisory Committee.

Marcial Boo, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

“Yesterday we had the last formal meeting of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Disability Advisory Committee. The Committee has advised us over the last three-year strategy period. Their influence has been invaluable and we are grateful for their dedicated input.

“As we now publish our next strategy for 2022 to 2025, we will hold a half-day workshop in July where we will seek expert views from disabled people’s organisations, academics and others on our new strategic priorities – on health and social care, children and young people, digital issues, and fairness at work. This will include considering the best way to engage a range of stakeholders on disability issues on an ongoing basis, both to inform our work at an early stage and to be regularly challenged to fulfil our duties as Britain’s equality and human rights regulator to enforce the law to benefit disabled people and others.”

Rachel Perkins, Chair of the Disability Advisory Committee, said:

“The Disability Advisory Committee has contributed advice across all the priorities of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Strategic Plan 2019 to 2022 and we are pulling together our learning, achievements and thoughts for the future, to share publicly. We look forward to detailed discussions with the Commission on how they plan to engage disabled people effectively over the next Strategic Plan period – from April 2022 onwards – in line with their clear commitment to engaging early, at formative stages of their work, and in an ongoing way, and to involving diverse disabled people with a wide range of experience and expertise. There is encouraging early thinking on a panel and wider network and we want to advise on shaping firm and effective plans for the future.”

Press contact details

For more press information contact the Commission's media office on:

0161 829 8102