237

House of Commons

Tuesday 23 June 2009

Public Bill Committee

New Amendments handed in are marked thus

Amendments which will comply with the required notice period at their next appearance

Equality Bill

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Note

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

[2 June 2009].

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.

Public Bill Committee: 23 June 2009

238

Equality Bill, continued

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.

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

Public Bill Committee: 23 June 2009

239

Equality Bill, continued

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.

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.

Public Bill Committee: 23 June 2009

240

Equality Bill, continued

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.’.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

244

Clause  56,  page  43,  line  38,  at end insert—

‘(ca)

a member of an authority in the GLA family;’.

Member’s explanatory statement

An amendment to ensure all GLA authorities cannot discriminate against its members, such as the

LFEPA or MPA.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

245

Clause  56,  page  44,  line  6,  at end insert—

‘(m)	a fire authority.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

An amendment to ensure members of fire authorities are protected from discrimination.

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.

Public Bill Committee: 23 June 2009

241

Equality Bill, continued

The Solicitor General

66

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

Member’s explanatory statement

See explanatory statement for amendment 65.

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

259

Page  45,  line  36,  leave out Clause 59.

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

260

Clause  61,  page  47,  line  16,  at end add—

‘(5)	Where section [Relevant types of work (No. 2)] (2) applies, the provisions of this

section will apply to the extent that a term of A’s is less favourable than a

corresponding term of B would be, or that A does not have a term which B would

have.’.

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

261

Clause  62,  page  48,  line  27,  at end add—

‘(11)

Where section [Relevant types of work (No. 2)] (2) applies, the provisions of this

section will apply to the extent that a term of A’s is less favourable than a

corresponding term of B would be, or if a discretion in relation to A is capable of

being exercised in a way which is less favourable than it would be in relation to

B.’.

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.’.

Public Bill Committee: 23 June 2009

242

Equality Bill, continued

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

262

Page  49,  line  1,  leave out Clause 64.

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

258

Page  50,  line  1,  leave out Clause 65.

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

263

Page  50,  line  20,  leave out Clause 66.

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.’.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

248

Clause  73,  page  55,  line  19,  leave out ‘250’ and insert ‘100’.

Member’s explanatory statement

An amendment to reduce the number of people an organisation must employ in order to be subject

to the gender pay gap clause requirements.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

14

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

‘( )	the Armed Forces;

Public Bill Committee: 23 June 2009

243

Equality Bill, continued

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

Communications Headquarters;’.

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’.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

243

Clause  78,  page  58,  line  45,  at end insert—

‘(e)	unremunerated work that is comparable to employment.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

A probing amendment to establish to what extent volunteers have the same protection from

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Revised 23 June 2009