Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009

155

Equality Bill, continued

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

175

Clause  24,  page  18,  line  3,  at end add—

‘(6)	If the protected characteristic is disability, this section applies to a person who is

perceived to have a disability.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

10

Clause  26,  page  19,  line  3,  leave out paragraph (a).

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

196

Clause  26,  page  19,  line  3,  at end insert ‘, so far as relating to any goods or services

which are not provided by or on behalf of a public authority’.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

156

Clause  26,  page  19,  line  4,  leave out paragraph (b).

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment extends protection against discrimination in the provisions of goods and services

because a person is married or in a civil partnership.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

197

Clause  26,  page  19,  line  4,  at end insert—

‘(c)	sex, except for any goods or services which are provided by or on behalf

of a public authority.’.

The Solicitor General

60

Clause  26,  page  19,  line  8,  leave out subsection (3).

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on amendment 90.

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009

156

Equality Bill, continued

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

232

Clause  27,  page  20,  line  12,  at end insert—

‘(8A)

Subsection 8 applies only where the provision of the service is not—

(a)	carried out by a public authority;

(b)	carried out on behalf of a public authority;

(c)	carried out under contract to a public authority, or

(d)	otherwise carried out in the exercise of a public function.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment extends protection against harassment on grounds of sexual orientation and

religion or belief in relation to parts 3 (where exercising a public function). Harassment is defined

in a more limited way.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

176

Schedule  2,  page  147,  leave out lines 32 to 34 and insert—

‘“(a)

to remove the feature, or

(b)	to alter the feature, or

(c)	to provide a reasonable means of avoiding the feature, or

(d)	to adopt a reasonable method of providing the service or exercising the

function.”’.

John Mason

39

Schedule  3,  page  150,  line  6,  leave out paragraph 1.

Member’s explanatory statement

Parliament is exempt from the ban on discrimination, harassment and victimisation in the exercise

of its public functions. This amendment would remove that exemption.

John Mason

40

Schedule  3,  page  150,  line  14,  leave out paragraph 2.

Member’s explanatory statement

Parliament’s legislative functions are exempt from the ban on discrimination, harassment and

victimisation. This amendment would remove that exemption.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

162

Schedule  3,  page  151,  line  14,  at end insert ‘to the extent that the discrimination is

a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment imposes the ‘legitimate aim’ test when armed forces want to treat a person

detrimentally.

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009

157

Equality Bill, continued

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

123

Schedule  3,  page  151,  line  18,  leave out ‘reassignment’ and insert ‘identity’.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

159

Schedule  3,  page  153,  line  9,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

In assessing risk in sub-paragraph (1)(a) a blood service cannot make an

assumption of risk that relies on all people of a protected characteristic sharing

the same risk.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment makes clear that blood services cannot use blanket assessments of risk based on

people of a protected characteristic, such as their sexual orientation, sharing the same level of risk.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

160

Schedule  3,  page  154,  line  10,  leave out from ‘following’ to end of line 11.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment redrafts the exception in the application of disability discrimination to

immigration matters.

John Mason

101

Schedule  3,  page  154,  line  11,  leave out ‘for the public good’ and insert ‘to protect

public health’.

John Mason

102

Schedule  3,  page  154,  line  13,  leave out ‘or remain in’.

John Mason

103

Schedule  3,  page  154,  line  14,  leave out ‘or remain in’.

John Mason

104

Schedule  3,  page  154,  line  15,  leave out ‘or remain in’.

John Mason

105

Schedule  3,  page  154,  line  16,  leave out ‘or remain in’.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

161

Schedule  3,  page  154,  line  22,  at end insert—

‘(5)	Section 27 does not apply in relation to sub-paragraphs (2) to (4) only to the

extent that any treatment, or a failure to comply with a duty, are a proportionate

means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009

158

Equality Bill, continued

(6)	Regulations may make provision for purposes of sub-paragraph (5) as to

circumstances in which treatment, or a failure to comply with a duty, is to be

taken to be justified, to the extent that those regulations are a proportionate means

of achieving a legitimate aim’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment redrafts the exception in the application of disability discrimination to

immigration matters.

John Mason

106

Schedule  3,  page  155,  leave out lines 14 to 26.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

124

Schedule  3,  page  157,  line  20,  leave out ‘reassignment’ and insert ‘identity’.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

125

Schedule  3,  page  159,  line  5,  leave out ‘reassignment’ and insert ‘identity’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

11

Clause  30,  page  22,  line  6,  leave out paragraph (a).

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

163

Clause  30,  page  22,  line  7,  leave out paragraph (b).

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment extends protection against discrimination because someone is married or in a

civil partnership as it relates to premises.

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

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009

159

Equality Bill, continued

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—

‘(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.’.

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009

160

Equality Bill, continued

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.

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.

Public Bill Committee: 16 June 2009

161

Equality Bill, continued

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).

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.

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Revised 16 June 2009