Provides for the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, a single integrated body to underpin GB legislation on race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, the proposed legislation on age and human rights.
The new Commission will be a strong and authoritative champion for equality and human rights, as a cornerstone of the Government's drive to enhance social justice and a means to realising our vision of a fairer, more inclusive and prosperous Britain.
The Commission will be established as a non-departmental public body and will subsume the three existing equality commissions (Commission for Race Equality, Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission).
Commission's core duties to be the promotion of good practice in equality and diversity; the elimination of discrimination; the promotion of equal opportunities within the protected equality strands; human rights; social cohesion; review of legislation.
The Act also makes it unlawful (subject to certain exemptions) to discriminate on grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods, facilities and services, the disposal and management of premises, education and the exercise of public functions.
The Act provides a power under which the Secretary of State may make regulations that prohibit sexual orientation discrimination (including harassment) in the provision of goods, facilities and services, and in the execution of public functions.
In addition, the Act creates a duty on public authorities to promote equality of opportunity between women and men and prohibits sex discrimination in the exercise of public functions.
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