House of Commons portcullis
House of Commons
Session 2008 - 09
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament


 
 

141

 

House of Commons

 
 

Tuesday 16 June 2009

 

Public Bill Committee

 

New Amendments handed in are marked thus Parliamentary Star

 

Parliamentary Star - whiteAmendments which will comply with the required notice period at their next appearance

 

Equality Bill


 

Note

 

The Amendments have been arranged according to the Order of the Committee

 

[2 June 2009].

 


 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

114

 

Clause  6,  page  5,  line  4,  leave out ‘and long-term’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

An amendment to remove the requirement for a disability to be long-term before a person with that

 

disability is afforded protection from discrimination.

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

John Penrose

 

Mr John Baron

 

166

 

Clause  6,  page  5,  line  19,  at end insert—

 

‘(4A)    

Where reference is made in this Act to a person (B) who is perceived to have a

 

disability, the reference is taken to apply to this person whether or not the

 

perceived impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on B’s

 

ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’.

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009                     

142

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

179

 

Schedule  1,  page  144,  line  10,  at end insert ‘the effect’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

To clarify the meaning of the sub-paragraph.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

186

 

Schedule  1,  page  144,  line  11,  leave out ‘it’.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

187

 

Schedule  1,  page  144,  line  12,  leave out ‘it’.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

188

 

Schedule  1,  page  144,  line  13,  leave out ‘it’.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

180

 

Schedule  1,  page  144,  line  16,  leave out ‘effect is likely to recur’ and insert

 

‘impairment is of a nature where it, or its effects, is liable to recur’.

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

John Penrose

 

Mr John Baron

 

167

 

Schedule  1,  page  144,  line  16,  at end insert—

 

‘(2A)    

Without prejudice to the operation of sub-paragraph (2), the mental impairment

 

consisting of or resulting from depression that has ceased to have a substantial

 

adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities shall

 

always be treated as if that effect is likely to recur if the person has had within the

 

last 5 years a previous episode of such impairment which had a substantial

 

adverse effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities for

 

a period of 6 months or more.’.

 


 

Mr Tim Boswell

 

195

 

Clause  7,  page  5,  line  25,  leave out ‘proposing to undergo’ and insert ‘considering

 

undergoing’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009                     

143

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

116

 

Page  5,  line  23,  leave out Clause 7.

 


 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

127

 

Clause  8,  page  6,  line  7,  leave out ‘or a civil partner’ and insert ‘, a civil partner, co-

 

habiting or single’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

An amendment to protect single and co-habiting people from discrimination.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

128

 

Clause  8,  page  6,  line  10,  leave out ‘or is a civil partner’ and insert ‘, a civil partner,

 

co-habiting or single’.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

129

 

Clause  8,  page  6,  line  12,  leave out ‘or are civil partners’ and insert ‘, civil partners,

 

co-habiting or single’.

 


 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

215

 

Clause  10,  page  7,  line  23,  at end insert—

 

‘(4)    

The meaning of religion or belief does not include whether, or the degree to

 

which, a person has one or more of another protected characteristic.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to make sure that organisations or individuals can not use exemptions based on religion or

 

belief to discriminate on another ground for example against persons whose lifestyle, because they

 

are gay or unmarried, is not consistent with orthodox practice of that religion or belief.

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

216

 

Clause  10,  page  7,  line  23,  at end insert—

 

‘(4)    

The meaning of religion or belief does not include the degree of support for

 

matters of public policy or for the policies of a political party.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to make sure that organisations or individuals which are quasi-political can not benefit

 

from exemptions based on religion or belief.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009                     

144

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

235

 

Parliamentary Star    

Clause  10,  page  7,  line  23,  at end insert ‘In relation to the protected characteristic

 

of religion or belief, a reference to a person’s religion or belief does not include reference

 

to that person’s other protected characteristics.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to make sure that organisations or individuals cannot use exemptions based on religion or

 

belief to discriminate on another ground for exdample against persons whose lifestyle, because

 

they are gay or unmarried, is not consistent with orthodox practice of that religion or belief.

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

236

 

Parliamentary Star    

Clause  10,  page  7,  line  23,  at end insert—

 

‘(4)    

The meaning of religion or belief does not include the degree of support for

 

matters of public policy or for the policies of a political party.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to make sure that organisations or individuals which are quasi-political cannot benefit from

 

exemptions based on religion or belief.

 


 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

217

 

Clause  12,  page  8,  line  16,  at end add—

 

‘(3)    

Sexual orientation includes manifestations of that sexual orientation.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to put clearly into statute existing case law stemming from eg Amicus vs Secretary of State

 

where it was held that a religious organisation could not avoid sexual orientation discrimination

 

by referring to lifestyle matters which were a lawful and direct expression of sexual orientation.’.

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

237

 

Parliamentary Star    

Clause  12,  page  8,  line  16,  at end add—

 

    

‘and includes manifestations of any such sexual orientation.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to put clearly into statute case law stemming from eg Amicus vs Secretary of State where it

 

was held that a religious organisation could not avoid sexual orientation discrimination by

 

referring to lifestyle matters which were a lawful and direct expression of sexual orientation.

 


 

Mr Mark Harper

 

John Penrose

 

Mr John Baron

 

7

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  5,  leave out ‘because of’ and insert ‘on grounds of’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009                     

145

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

132

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  5,  leave out ‘because of’ and insert ‘on the grounds of’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

An amendment to revert the causality of discrimination to pre-Equality Bill wording.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

130

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  5,  leave out ‘a’ and insert ‘one or more than one’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

An amendment to permit claims of direct discrimination and harassment on multiple form of

 

discrimination.

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

John Penrose

 

Mr John Baron

 

194

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  6,  at end insert—

 

‘(1A)    

Discrimination does not include marketing or promoting activities targeted at a

 

particular group of people whether or not they share a protected characteristic.’.

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

222

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  6,  at end insert—

 

‘(1A)    

This section applies to a person (B) who is perceived by A to have a protected

 

characteristic, regardless of whether B does in fact have that characteristic.

 

(1B)    

This section applies to a person (B) who has an association with a person who has

 

a protected characteristic.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is put into statute two provisions which are explicitly and implicitly provided for by the

 

relevant directive and by case law.

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

133

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  10,  leave out subsection (3) and insert—

 

‘(3)    

If the protected characteristic is disability, nothing in this section shall be taken

 

to prohibit more favourable treatment of a disabled person on the grounds of a

 

disabled person’s disability.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

An amendment to retain the asymmetric nature of disability discrimination.

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

John Penrose

 

Mr John Baron

 

168

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  15,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

If the protected characteristic is disability, this section applies to a person who is

 

perceived to have a disability.’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009                     

146

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

221

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  20,  at end insert—

 

‘(5A)    

If the protected characteristic is religion or belief, for the purposes of this section,

 

a claim for direct discrimination on that protected ground can not solely rely on

 

A treating B less favourably on the basis of a manifestation of B’s religion or

 

belief.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to make explicit in statute existing case law from the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Ladele

 

vs Islington, that one can not claim direct discrimination when one is treated adversely solely on

 

the basis of behaviour stemming from a religious belief.

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

238

 

Parliamentary Star    

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  20,  at end insert—

 

‘(5A)    

A person (A) does not discriminate against another (B) because of religion or

 

belief within the meaning of subsection (1) if A treats B less favourably than A

 

treats or would treat others on grounds only of a manifestation of or behaviour

 

connected with B’s religion or belief.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to make explicit in statute existing case law from the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Ladele

 

vs Islington, that one cannot claim direct discrimination when one is treated adversely solely on

 

the basis of behaviour stemming from a religious belief.

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

219

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  leave out lines 21 and 22 and insert—

 

‘(6)    

It does not matter if the protected characteristic that B has is also shared by A.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to probe why the provision in Clause 13(6) which applies to religion and belief does not in

 

fact apply to other strands.

 

John Mason

 

36

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  22,  at end insert—

 

‘(b)    

less favourable treatment includes placing tighter restrictions on

 

expression related to religion or belief than on expression not related to

 

religion or belief.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

Makes clear that treating religious speech less favourably than non-religious speech is a form of

 

direct discrimination.

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

218

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  22,  at end insert—

 

‘(6A)    

If the protected characteristic is sexual orientation it does not matter whether the

 

sexual orientation is also A’s.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is to probe why the provision in Clause 13(6) which applies to religion and belief does not in

 

fact apply to other strands.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009                     

147

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

220

 

Clause  13,  page  9,  line  27,  at end insert—

 

‘(7A)    

If the protected characteristic is sexual orientation, A discriminates against B if A

 

treats B less favourably than A treats or would treat others on the basis of a

 

manifestation of B’s sexual orientation.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This is make explicit in statute the case law (eg from Amicus vs Secretary of State) which holds that

 

discrimination against gay people on account of their gay life style or camp appearance (for

 

example) is direct discrimination.

 


 

Lynne Featherstone

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

191

 

Clause  14,  page  10,  leave out lines 3 to 6 and insert—

 

‘(a)    

A treats B in a particular way for a reason arising from B’s disability,

 

(b)    

the treatment amounts to a detriment, and

 

(c)    

A cannot show that the treatment is a proportionate means of achieving a

 

legitimate aim.

 

(1A)    

For the purposes of this section, A treats B in a particular way for a reason arising

 

from B’s disability if—

 

(a)    

A treats B in that way for a reason arising from B’s disability (but not by

 

reason of B’s disability itself); or

 

(b)    

A treats B in that way for a reason arising from a manifestation of or

 

behaviour connected with B’s disability (but not by reason of B’s

 

disability itself).

 

(1B)    

For the purposes of subsection (1), A treats B in a particular way for a reason

 

arising from B’s disability even if A treats or would treat another person without

 

a disability in the same way as B where that other person’s circumstances are

 

otherwise the same as those of A.

 

(1C)    

For the purposes of this section, the circumstances in which A shall be taken to

 

be reasonably expected to know about B’s disability include where A has failed

 

to ask B if he has a disability.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

An amendment to restore the level of protection afforded to disabled people to that before the

 

House of Lords judgement in LB Lewisham v. Malcolm. It also prevents ignorance being a defence

 

of detrimental treatment.

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

John Penrose

 

Mr John Baron

 

8

 

Clause  14,  page  10,  line  5,  leave out paragraph (c).

 



 
contents continue
 
House of Commons home page Houses of Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries

© Parliamentary copyright 2009
Revised 16 June 2009