The new offices of a key public body in Northern Ireland will include a gender-neutral toilet following a consultation with staff.
he Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) will move next year from its current base at Clarendon Dock in Belfast to new headquarters at the Gasworks site in the city.
As part of the move, employees at the Policing Board were asked for their views on the “gender designation” of the toilets in the new offices.
As a result, alongside the male, female and disabled access toilets, there will also be a gender neutral toilet in the new NIPB premises.
Gender neutral toilets are bathrooms which can be used by anyone, regardless of gender.
The policing body, which was set up 2001 to oversee policing in Northern Ireland and which holds the PSNI to account through the chief constable, is made up of 10 representatives of local political parties and nine independent members.
The move of the NIPB base from Waterside Tower at Clarendon Dock to James House at the Gasworks site had originally been due to happen earlier this year, but a spokesperson for the organisation said the relocation has been delayed until April 2023.
The Policing Board said the decision to move the office was based on “accommodation requirements” and “changing operational needs” within the Northern Ireland Civil Service’s Estates Strategy.
It is understood the decision to move the NIPB offices, which was approved by the board in March 2020, has been influenced by the change in working patterns as a result of the pandemic, including more remote and hybrid-working.
There has been much debate in recent years about gender neutral toilets within workplaces. While anyone can use a gender neutral toilet, they are regarded as particularly important for people who identify themselves as transgender or non-binary.
The NIPB spokesperson confirmed staff views had been sought in relation to the gender designation of toilet facilities in the new offices.
“As part of agreeing the facilities required at the James House site, two toilets have been designated female, one male, one gender neutral and one an accessible toilet,” the spokesperson said.
The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA), a union which represents many public sector workers in Northern Ireland, last year held a discussion on gender neutral toilets in the workplace at its annual conference. At the conference, the union put forward a paper to support the introduction of such facilities in workplaces.
“Unions are in an important position of protecting the most vulnerable workers from discrimination, institutional abuse and harmful working conditions,” the paper said.
“For this reason, the (NIPSA) General Council believes we must take a strong stance in favour of trans-inclusive policies on accessing toilets and other facilities in the workplace, in line with the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999 as amended which allows trans people to access toilets on the basis of self-identification.
“Adopting this policy and fighting for the introduction of gender neutral toilet facilities would ensure that NIPSA sends a message to non-binary, trans and intersex union members and workers that they support them and are willing to stand up for their rights.
“Future building works that may involve toilets or changing facilities should include gender neutral accessible cubicles, and efforts to implement the inclusion of the provision of gender-neutral facilities in existing sites should be supported.
“The General Council believes the rebranding of toilets to make them gender-neutral would be a small, but deeply significant step, towards making the workplace a truly inclusive environment.”
Last July, the British government said all new public buildings should have separate male and female toilets. It said the rise in gender-neutral toilets had raised safety concerns from some women who feel they are “losing privacy and being unfairly disadvantaged”.
Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch said it was “vital” women feel safe and comfortable when using public facilities.