Public Bill Committee: 18 June 2009

198

Equality Bill, continued

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

164

Clause  34,  page  25,  line  27,  leave out subsection (8).

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment removes the powers of Government to remove specific types of premises from the

application of this protection.

The Solicitor General

61

Schedule  4,  page  166,  line  14,  leave out ‘5(4)(b)’ and insert ‘5(4)(c)’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would correct a minor drafting error.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

165

Clause  36,  page  26,  line  22,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

An employer (A) discriminates against a person (B) in the arrangements in

subsection (1)(a) if A fails to take reasonable steps to ensure that—

(a)	the selection for interview is carried out on an anonymous basis, or

(b)	the person selecting for interview does not know the gender, race, sexual

orientation, age or marital status of B or whether B has a disability.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment protects job applicants from subliminal discrimination arising from information

assumed from an applicant’s name. It also prevents information being made available to people

short-listing that reveals whether an applicant has protected characteristic.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

207

Clause  36,  page  26,  line  22,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

An employer must not ask for details of an applicant’s health or disabilities before

an offer of employment to which subsection (1) applies has been made except in

so far as necessary to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

208

Clause  36,  page  26,  line  34,  at end insert—

Public Bill Committee: 18 June 2009

199

Equality Bill, continued

‘(3A)

An employer must not ask for details of an applicant’s health or disabilities before

an offer to which subsection (3) applies has been made except in so far as

necessary to make reasonable adjustments to the selection process.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

213

Clause  38,  page  28,  line  2,  after ‘worker’, insert ‘with a protected characteristic

compared to a contract worker without a protected characteristic’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

214

Clause  38,  page  28,  line  10,  after ‘worker’, insert ‘with a protected characteristic

compared to a contract worker without a protected characteristic’.

John Mason

41

Schedule  6,  page  169,  line  15,  leave out paragraphs 2 and 3.

Member’s explanatory statement

Political appointments, honours and peerages are exempt from the ban on discriminating against

office-holders. this amendment would remove those exemptions.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

199

Schedule  6,  page  170,  line  9,  at end insert ‘or other authorities of the GLA family’.

Member’s explanatory statement

An amendment to clarify that elected members of GLA authorities (MPA, LFEPA etc.) are to be

treated in the same way as members of the GLA.

The Solicitor General

62

Clause  51,  page  40,  line  14,  after second ‘a’, insert ‘relevant’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment and amendment 63 would correct a minor drafting error to clarify that the

interpretation of a reference to conferring a relevant qualification applies in relation to all

relevant qualifications. A reference to conferring a relevant qualification would then include a

reference to renewing or extending its conferment.

Public Bill Committee: 18 June 2009

200

Equality Bill, continued

The Solicitor General

63

Clause  51,  page  40,  line  15,  after ‘a’, insert ‘relevant’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See the explanatory statement for amendment 62.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

209

Clause  52,  page  40,  line  27,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

An employment service-provider must not ask for details of an applicant’s health

or disabilities before an offer to which subsection (1) applies has been made

except in so far as necessary to make reasonable adjustments to the selection

process.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

210

Clause  52,  page  41,  line  5,  at end insert—

‘(4A)

An employment service-provider must not ask for details of an applicant’s health

or disabilities before an offer to which subsection (4) applies has been made

except in so far as necessary to make reasonable adjustments to the selection

process.’.

The Solicitor General

226

Clause  52,  page  41,  line  12,  leave out from ‘service-provider’ to end of line 14 and

insert ‘, except in relation to the provision of a vocational service.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment and amendments 227 to 229 would maintain the effect of the existing law by

providing for persons who provide certain employment services to be subject to the anticipatory

duty to make reasonable adjustments that is imposed by Part 3 in relation to services generally.

The Solicitor General

227

Clause  52,  page  41,  line  14,  at end insert—

‘( )	The duty imposed by section 27(7)(a) applies to a person concerned with the

provision of a vocational service; but a failure to comply with that duty in relation

to the provision of a vocational service is a contravention of this Part for the

purposes of Part 9 (enforcement).’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See explanatory statement for amendment 226.

The Solicitor General

64

Clause  53,  page  41,  line  37,  leave out subsection (3).

Public Bill Committee: 18 June 2009

201

Equality Bill, continued

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would omit Clause 53(3) which excludes from the scope of Clause 52 services the

provision of which is otherwise than by way of a trade or profession, reinstating the effect of

existing law, whereby the manner in which employment services are provided is irrelevant.

The Solicitor General

228

Clause  53,  page  42,  line  4,  leave out subsection (7).

Member’s explanatory statement

See explanatory statement for amendment 226.

The Solicitor General

229

Clause  53,  page  42,  line  12,  at end insert—

‘( )	A reference to the provision of a vocational service is a reference to the provision

of an employment service within subsection (2)(a) to (d) (or an employment

service within subsection (2)(f) or (g) in so far as it is also an employment service

within subsection (2)(a) to (d)); and for that purpose—

(a)	the references to an employment service within subsection (2)(a) do not

include a reference to vocational training within the meaning given by

subsection (8)(b), and

(b)	the references to an employment service within subsection (2)(d) also

include a reference to a service for assisting persons to retain

employment.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See explanatory statement for amendment 226.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

211

Clause  54,  page  42,  line  20,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

A trade organisation must not ask for details of an applicant’s health or

disabilities before an offer of membership to which subsection (1) applies has

been made except in so far as necessary to make reasonable adjustments to the

selection process.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

212

Clause  54,  page  42,  line  34,  at end insert—

‘(4A)

A trade organisation must not ask for details of an applicant’s health or

disabilities before an offer of membership to which subsection (4) applies has

been made except in so far as necessary to make reasonable adjustments to the

selection process.’.

Public Bill Committee: 18 June 2009

202

Equality Bill, continued

The Solicitor General

65

Clause  58,  page  45,  line  19,  leave out from ‘person’ to ‘scheme’ in line 20 and

insert ‘who is a pension credit member of an occupational pension scheme as they apply

in relation to a disabled person who is a deferred member or pensioner member of the’.

Member’s explanatory statement

A non-discrimination rule does not apply in relation to pension credit members of an occupational

pension scheme. This amendment and amendments 66 and 89 would ensure that disabled pension

credit members are protected from discrimination in so far as communications in relation to the

scheme are concerned.

The Solicitor General

66

Clause  58,  page  45,  line  26,  leave out subsection (2).

Member’s explanatory statement

See explanatory statement for amendment 65.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

239

Clause  64,  page  49,  line  23,  at end add ‘Any difference on the grounds of sex or age

in the provision of goods or services shall not be discriminatory if the difference is

because of a material factor which is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate

aim.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

28

Clause  73,  page  55,  line  14,  leave out ‘by regulations’ and insert ‘not’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

15

Clause  73,  page  55,  line  17,  at end insert ‘and

(b)	employees who have a disability and employees who do not have a

disability.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

14

Clause  73,  page  55,  line  19,  at end insert—

‘( )	the Armed Forces;

( )	the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service or the Government

Communications Headquarters;’.

Public Bill Committee: 18 June 2009

203

Equality Bill, continued

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

13

Clause  73,  page  55,  line  20,  leave out paragraph (b).

The Solicitor General

67

Clause  73,  page  55,  line  20,  at end insert—

‘( )	a government department or part of the armed forces not specified in that

Schedule.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would exclude the security and intelligence agencies and GCHQ’s military

helpers from the scope of Clause 73. As a result, that clause would not apply to any government

department or any part of the armed forces.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

12

Page  55,  line  13,  leave out Clause 73.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

240

Clause  77,  page  58,  line  4,  leave out ‘with or’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

241

Clause  77,  page  58,  line  6,  leave out ‘with or’.

John Mason

44

Schedule  9,  page  181,  line  33,  leave out ‘proportionate’.

Member’s explanatory statement

The addition of a new proportionality test narrows the scope of existing exceptions for religious

employment. This amendment, in conjunction with the amendment to leave out sub-paragraph (8),

retains the status quo.

The Solicitor General

68

Schedule  9,  page  181,  line  36,  leave out ‘work’ and insert ‘employment’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would ensure that paragraph 2 of Schedule 9 refers consistently to

“employment”.

Public Bill Committee: 18 June 2009

204

Equality Bill, continued

John Mason

45

Schedule  9,  page  181,  line  37,  leave out ‘proportionate’.

Member’s explanatory statement

The addition of a new proportionality test narrows the scope of existing exceptions for religious

employment. This amendment, in conjunction with the Amendment to leave out sub-paragraph (8),

retains the status quo.

John Mason

42

Schedule  9,  page  181,  line  41,  leave out sub-paragraph (8) and insert—

‘(8)	Employment is for the purposes of an organised religion if—

(a)	A has an ethos based on religion or belief, or

(b)	the employment wholly or mainly involves—

(i)	leading or assisting in the observation of liturgical or ritualistic

practices of the religion, or

(ii)	promoting or explaining the doctrine of the religion (whether to

followers of the religion or to others).’.

Member’s explanatory statement

Sub-paragraph (8) narrows the scope of existing exceptions for religious employment. This

amendment would instead broaden the scope of the exceptions to benefit all religious

organisations.

John Mason

43

Schedule  9,  page  181,  line  41,  leave out sub-paragraph (8).

Member’s explanatory statement

Sub-paragraph (8) narrows the scope of existing exceptions for religious employment. This

amendment, in conjunction with the amendments to lines 33 and 37, retains the status quo.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

189

Schedule  9,  page  181,  line  42,  leave out ‘wholly or’.

John Mason

46

Schedule  9,  page  182,  line  6,  leave out from ‘requirement’ to ‘if’ and insert ‘to

which sub-paragraph (2) applies’.

Member’s explanatory statement

Place the exceptions from paragraph 2 of Schedule 9 into paragraph 3, which has a broader

framework. This would provide wider protection for the freedom of association of religious bodies.

John Mason

47

Schedule  9,  page  182,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(2)	This sub-paragraph applies to—

(a)	a requirement to be of a particular religion or belief;

(b)	a requirement to be of a particular sex;

(c)	a requirement not to be a transsexual person;

(d)	a requirement not be married or a civil partner;

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Revised 18 June 2009