News
Equality Bill Scrapes Through
7 April 2010
The House of Commons last night accepted without a vote the various amendments made by the Lords to the Equality Bill, and so narrowly avoided consigning it to the "wash up" which might have diluted some of its more contentious provisions. The Conservatives have however said that, if they form the next Government, they will not bring into force three of the Bill's provisions with which they disagree: the socio-economic duty on certain public bodies, the provisions on the reporting of gender pay gaps and the new scope for employers to take positive action measures.
The Bill will now receive Royal Assent without further delay, possibly as early as tomorrow. The parts of the Act which consolidate and replace existing legislation will come into effect in October 2010, with a phased introduction following for new requirements such as the single equality duty for the public sector (April 2011) and age protection outside the workplace (April 2012).
We will be examining what the Act means for employers at our Masterclass on 27 April, which is being held in partnership with Beachcroft LLP. A few places are still available - click here for more information.