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


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009                     

300

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

(3)    

For the purposes of this section, “pay” means the ordinary basic or minimum

 

wage or salary and any other consideration, whether in cash or kind, which the

 

worker receives directly or indirectly, in respect of his employment, from his

 

employer and includes the cost to the employer of—

 

(a)    

any pensions contributions paid by the employer in respect of the worker,

 

(b)    

any bonus or other performance related or incentive payment, and

 

(c)    

any discretionary benefit granted to a worker in connection with his or

 

her employment.

 

(4)    

The Secretary of State shall prescribe by regulations any further information

 

which employers must publish pursuant to subsection (1), the form in which the

 

information must be published, and the degree of publicity to be made.

 

(5)    

In make such regulations the Secretary of State shall adopt best practice for

 

promoting awareness of the nature and causes of any pay gap between persons of

 

different genders as set out by the International Labour Organisation from time to

 

time.

 

(6)    

The Secretary of State shall consult with the Equality and Human Rights

 

Commission as to how to ensure that the regulations shall contain best practice

 

prior to the making of the first regulations and no less than every five years

 

thereafter and shall amend the regulations as necessary to ensure that best practice

 

is maintained.

 

(7)    

Where an employer fails to publish information in accordance with this section

 

then an employer shall not be entitled to submit a material factor defence in

 

accordance with section 64 in relation to any period for which they are in breach

 

of their obligations under this section.

 

(8)    

Where the information published by an employer reveals that there is a difference

 

in the average pay of men and women doing relevant types of work as set out in

 

section 59, then in any proceedings to enforce a sex equality rule or a sex equality

 

clause it shall be presumed that there is such a breach unless the employer can

 

show a material factor defence.

 

(9)    

The regulations may make provision for a failure to comply with the

 

regulations—

 

(a)    

to be an offence punishable on summary conviction by a fine not

 

exceeding level 5 on the standard scale;

 

(b)    

to be enforced, otherwise than as an offence, by such means as is

 

prescribed.

 

(10)    

The reference to a failure to comply with the regulations includes a reference to

 

a failure by a person acting on behalf of an employer.

 

(11)    

An employer shall publish information pursuant to subsection (1) within one year

 

of the coming into force of this Act.

 

(12)    

Where an employer (A) is able to determine the terms and conditions of

 

employment as between another employer (B) and its employees, A shall publish

 

the information that B would otherwise be required to publish in a way which is

 

consolidated with the information for all other employees of A whose terms and

 

conditions A may determine, and where A publishes consolidated information B

 

shall not be in breach of this section if it does not publish any information.

 

(13)    

A designated employer means an employer who has more than 100 employees.’.

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009                     

301

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Relevant types of work (No. 2)

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

NC24

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

Sections 61 to 65 apply where—

 

(a)    

a person (A) is employed on work that is equal to the work that a

 

colleague of the opposite sex (B) does;

 

(b)    

a person (A) holding a personal or public office does work that is equal

 

to the work that colleague (B) of the opposite sex does.

 

(2)    

To the extent set out in sections 61 to 64, those sections also apply where A does

 

not have a colleague B who does work that falls within subsection (1), because

 

there is no such person of the opposite sex to A.’.

 


 

Defence of material factor (No. 2)

 

Dr Evan Harris

 

Lynne Featherstone

 

NC25

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The sex equality clause in A’s terms has no effect in relation to a difference

 

between A’s terms and B’s terms if the responsible person shows that the

 

difference is because of a material factor—

 

(a)    

which does not constitute discrimination because of sex within the

 

meaning of section 13, and

 

(b)    

which is within subsection (2).

 

(2)    

A factor is within this subsection if—

 

(a)    

as a result of the factor, A and persons of the same sex as A are or would

 

be put at a particular disadvantage when compared with persons of the

 

opposite sex, but

 

(b)    

the responsible person shows that relying on the factor is objectively

 

justified by a legitimate aim and the means of achieving that aim are

 

appropriate and necessary.

 

(3)    

A sex equality rule has no effect in relation to a difference between A and B in

 

the effect of a relevant matter if the trustees or managers of the scheme in question

 

show that the difference is because of a material factor which—

 

(a)    

does not constitute discrimination because of sex within the meaning of

 

section 13 and

 

(b)    

which is within subsection (2).

 

(4)    

“Relevant matter” has the meaning given in section 62.

 

(5)    

For the purposes of this section, a factor is not material unless it is a material

 

difference between A’s case and B’s.’.

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009                     

302

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

The Solicitor General

 

That certain written evidence already reported to the House be appended to the

 

proceedings of the Committee.

 

 

Order of the House [11 MAY 2009]

 

That the following provisions shall apply to the Equality Bill:

 

Committal

 

1.    

The Bill shall be committed to a Public Bill Committee.

 

Proceedings in Public Bill Committee

 

2.    

Proceedings in the Public Bill Committee shall (so far as not previously

 

concluded) be brought to a conclusion on 7 July 2009.

 

3.    

The Public Bill Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on

 

which it meets.

 

Consideration and Third Reading

 

4.    

Proceedings on consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be

 

brought to a conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the

 

day on which those proceedings are commenced.

 

5.    

Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be

 

brought to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on that day.

 

6.    

Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to

 

proceedings on consideration and Third Reading.

 

Other proceedings

 

7.    

Any other proceedings on the Bill (including any proceedings on

 

consideration of Lords Amendments or on any further messages from the

 

Lords) may be programmed.

 

 

Orders of the Committee [2 and 9 June 2009]

 

That—

 

 

(1)  

the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 10.30 am on Tuesday

 

2 June) meet—

 

(a)  

at 4.00 pm on Tuesday 2 June;

 

(b)  

at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 9 June;

 

(c)  

at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 11 June;

 

(d)  

at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 16 June;

 

(e)  

at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 18 June;

 

(f)  

at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 23 June;

 

(g)  

at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 25 June;

 

(h)  

at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 30 June;

 

(i)  

at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 2 July;

 

(j)  

at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 7 July;

 

(2)  

the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following

 

Table—


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 25 June 2009                     

303

 

Equality Bill, continued

 
 

Date

Time

Witness

 
 

Tuesday 2 June

Until no later

Equality and Diversity Forum

 
  

than 12 noon

Equality and Human Rights

 
   

  Commission

 
   

Tribunals Service

 
 

Tuesday 2 June

Until no later

Help the Aged and Age Concern

 
  

than 1.00 pm

Children’s Rights Alliance

 
   

Disability Charities Consortium

 
   

RADAR

 
   

Carers UK

 
 

Tuesday 2 June

Until no later

Stonewall

 
  

than 5.00 pm

Press for Change

 
   

Runnymede Trust

 
   

Race on the Agenda

 
 

Tuesday 2 June

Until no later

Fawcett Society

 
  

than 6.00 pm

Women’s National Commission

 
   

Women Like Us

 
 

Tuesday 9 June

Until no later

British Humanist Association

 
  

than 11.30 am

General Synod of the Church of

 
   

  England

 
   

Catholic Bishops’ Conference,

 
   

Muslim Women’s Network

 
   

Board of Deputies of British Jews

 
 

Tuesday 9 June

Until no later

Confederation of British Industry

 
  

than 1.00 pm

Association of British Insurers

 
   

Federation of Small Businesses

 
   

Chartered Institute of Personnel

 
   

  and Development

 
   

Trades Union Congress

 
 

Tuesday 9 June

Until no later

Government Equalities Office

 
  

than 5.00 pm

  
 

(3)  

proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the

 

following order: Clauses 1 to 6; Schedule 1; Clauses 7 to 29; Schedules 2 and

 

3; Clauses 30 to 35; Schedules 4 and 5; Clauses 36 to 49; Schedule 6; Clauses

 

50 to 75; Schedule 7; Clauses 76 to 78; Schedules 8 and 9; Clauses 79 to 83;

 

Schedule 10; Clause 84; Schedule 11; Clauses 85 to 89; Schedule 12; Clauses

 

90 to 93; Schedule 13; Clause 94; Schedule 14; Clauses 95 to 101; Schedules

 

15 and 16; Clauses 102 to 110; Schedule 17; Clauses 111 to 143; Schedule

 

18; Clause 144; Schedule 19; Clauses 145 to 179; Schedule 20; Clauses 180

 

to 182; Schedule 21; Clauses 183 and 184; Schedule 22; Clauses 185 to 189;

 

Schedule 23; Clauses 190 and 191; Schedule 24; Clauses 192 and 193;

 

Schedule 25; Clauses 194 to 198; Schedules 26 and 27; Clauses 199 to 201;

 

Schedule 28; Clauses 202 to 205; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining

 

proceedings on the Bill;

 

(4)  

the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a

 

conclusion at 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday 7 July.

 


 
previous section contents
 
House of Commons home page Houses of Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries

© Parliamentary copyright 2009
Revised 25 June 2009