279

House of Commons

Thursday 25 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].

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

203

Clause  99,  page  73,  line  22,  at end insert—

‘(f)	internal party elections.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

The amendment allows political parties to positively discriminate in their own internal elections,

such as elections for executive members on local councils.

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

204

Clause  101,  page  74,  line  3,  at end insert—

‘(2A)

An association is deemed to have at least 25 members for the purposes of

subsection (1)(a) if it has been reconstituted or formed out of an association of at

least 25 members.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

An amendment to prevent an association from reconstituting itself into many separate associations

as a means of avoiding the duties under the Act.

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009

280

Equality Bill, continued

Lynne Featherstone

Dr Evan Harris

205

Clause  101,  page  74,  line  4,  leave out subsection (3).

Member’s explanatory statement

The amendment prevents the Government from reducing or increasing the number of members an

association must have to be covered by this Act.

The Solicitor General

79

Schedule  15,  page  207,  line  35,  leave out from ‘who’ to end of line 36 and insert

‘—

(a)	are, or are seeking to become or might wish to become, members,

(b)	are associates, or

(c)	are, or are likely to become, guests.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment and amendment 80 would expand the scope of the duty on associations to make

reasonable adjustments so that the duty applies in relation to prospective members and guests. The

omission of provision to that effect from the Bill on introduction was an oversight.

The Solicitor General

80

Schedule  15,  page  208,  line  1,  leave out from ‘relevant’ to end of line 2 and insert

‘matters are—

(a)	access to a benefit, facility or service;

(b)	being admitted to membership or invited as a guest.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See explanatory statement for amendment 79.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

16

Clause  118,  page  85,  line  28,  leave out paragraph (c).

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

17

Clause  118,  page  85,  line  29,  leave out subsection (3) and insert—

‘(3)	In the event that an employment tribunal finds that an employer has contravened

a term modified or included by an equality clause, the employer shall be required

to undertake an audit, to be known as an equal pay audit, and to make the results

of the audit available in a manner prescribed in regulations made by the Secretary

of State.’.

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009

281

Equality Bill, continued

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

18

Clause  118,  page  86,  line  8,  leave out subsection (7).

The Solicitor General

81

Clause  130,  page  95,  line  27,  after ‘offence’, insert ‘under this Act’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would remove an inconsistency between Clause 107(7)(a) and Clause 130(5).

The Solicitor General

82

Clause  138,  page  100,  line  16,  after ‘of’, insert ‘or made under’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would expand the scope of Clause 138(1) to render unenforceable a contractual

term which purports to exclude or limit a provision made under the Bill in addition to a provision

of the Bill itself. The amendment would complement the provisions already in the Bill.

The Solicitor General

83

Clause  138,  page  100,  line  19,  after ‘of’, insert ‘or made under’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would expand the scope of Clause 138(2) to render unenforceable a relevant non-

contractual term which purports to exclude or limit a provision made under the Bill in addition to

a provision of the Bill itself. The amendment would complement the provisions already in the Bill.

Mr Tim Boswell

242

Clause  143,  page  105,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(d)	respect and protect the human rights of any person for whom it has

responsibility, whether or not they have a relevant protected

characteristic.’.

Dr Evan Harris

Lynne Featherstone

249

Clause  143,  page  105,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(2)	Subsection (1)(b) does not apply in so far as it relates to religion or belief.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment removes the duty on public authorities to have regard to promoting equality of

opportunity between religious people.

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009

282

Equality Bill, continued

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

19

Clause  143,  page  105,  line  14,  at beginning insert ‘Subsection (1) will also apply

to’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

20

Clause  143,  page  105,  leave out lines 15 and 16 and insert ‘except in relation to matters

of employment’.

Mr David Drew

279

Clause  143,  page  105,  line  31,  leave out ‘and’.

John Mason

49

Clause  143,  page  105,  line  32,  at end insert—

‘(4A)

Having due regard to the need to foster good relations between persons who share

a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it involves

ensuring a proper balance between the rights of persons who share a relevant

protected characteristic and the rights of persons who share a different relevant

protected characteristic.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

Prevents public authorities using the public sector equality duty to favour the rights of one group

over another.

Mr David Drew

280

Clause  143,  page  105,  line  32,  at end insert ‘and,

(c)	eliminate hatred and hostility towards members of different groups.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

21

Clause  143,  page  105,  line  35,  at end insert—

‘(5A)

A public authority must collect and publish data annually showing, in the exercise

of its functions, the extent to which it has succeeded in meeting the requirements

under subsection (1).’.

John Mason

50

Schedule  18,  page  216,  leave out lines 21 to 24.

Member’s explanatory statement

The Commons, the Lords, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly are exempt from the

public sector equality duty. This amendment would remove those exemptions.

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009

283

Equality Bill, continued

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

192

Schedule  18,  page  216,  line  31,  at end insert—

‘(j)	persons involved in the commissioning, content and broadcast of

programmes.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

278

Schedule  18,  page  216,  line  34,  at end insert—

‘(aa)

a function in connection with membership of the House of Commons;’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

193

Schedule  18,  page  216,  line  44,  at end insert—

‘(g)	a function in connection with the commissioning, content and broadcast

of programmes.’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

266

Schedule  19,  page  218,  line  43,  at end insert—

‘The relevant qualifications regulator (The Office of the Qualifications and

Examinations Regulator—Ofqual).’.

John Mason

51

Page  107,  line  6,  leave out Clause 145.

Member’s explanatory statement

Removes all ministerial order-making powers related to the public sector equality duty. This would

require the Government to use primary legislation instead.

John Mason

52

Page  107,  line  29,  leave out Clause 146.

Member’s explanatory statement

Removes all ministerial order-making powers related to the public sector equality duty. This would

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009

284

Equality Bill, continued

require the Government to use primary legislation instead.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

22

Clause  147,  page  108,  line  27,  at end insert—

‘(5)	Before regulations are made under this section, there must be laid before both

Houses of Parliament—

(a)	draft regulations, and

(b)	evidence that the regulations will enable the better performance by public

authorities of the duty imposed by subsection (1).’.

John Mason

53

Page  108,  line  18,  leave out Clause 147.

Member’s explanatory statement

Removes all ministerial order-making powers related to the public sector equality duty. This would

require the Government to use primary legislation instead.

John Mason

54

Page  109,  line  1,  leave out Clause 148.

Member’s explanatory statement

Removes all ministerial order-making powers related to the public sector equality duty. This would

require the Government to use primary legislation instead.

John Mason

55

Page  110,  line  17,  leave out Clause 149.

Member’s explanatory statement

Removes all ministerial order-making powers related to the public sector equality duty. This would

require the Government to use primary legislation instead.

The Solicitor General

84

Clause  151,  page  111,  line  8,  after ‘person’, insert ‘other than the Assembly

Commission’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would provide for the National Assembly for Wales Commission not to be a

“relevant Welsh authority”; accordingly, a Minister of the Crown (not the Welsh Ministers) would

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009

285

Equality Bill, continued

have power to make an order to add the Commission to Schedule 19 or to impose specific duties

on it.

The Solicitor General

85

Clause  151,  page  111,  line  12,  after ‘authority’, insert ‘or the Assembly

Commission’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would provide for the National Assembly for Wales Commission not to be a

“relevant cross-border authority”; accordingly, a Minister of the Crown (not the Welsh Ministers)

would have power to make an order to add the Commission to Schedule 19 or to impose specific

duties on it.

The Solicitor General

86

Clause  151,  page  111,  line  14,  at end insert—

‘( )	The Assembly Commission has the same meaning as in the Government of Wales

Act 2006.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would define “the Assembly Commission” in amendments 84 and 85 as the

National Assembly for Wales Commission or Comisiwn Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

29

Clause  153,  page  113,  line  2,  leave out ‘reasonably thinks’ and insert ‘can

demonstrate’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

23

Clause  153,  page  113,  line  16,  leave out ‘as qualified as’ and insert ‘equally

qualified to’.

Mr Mark Harper

John Penrose

Mr John Baron

24

Page  113,  line  1,  leave out Clause 153.

The Solicitor General

87

Clause  175,  page  127,  line  38,  leave out ‘194(3)(a)’ and insert ‘194(4)(a)’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would correct a cross-reference. The correct reference is to the power of the

Secretary of State to make different provision in regulations for different purposes. The incorrect

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Revised 25 June 2009