The Equality Bill 2008-09 has been introduced into Parliament.

The Bill has two main purposes – to harmonise discrimination law, and to strengthen the law to support progress on equality.

The Bill:

• places a new duty on certain public authorities to consider socio-economic disadvantage when taking strategic decisions about how to exercise their functions;
• extends the circumstances in which a person is protected against discrimination, harassment or victimisation because of a protected characteristic;
• creates a duty on listed public authorities when carrying out their functions to have due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not; and the need to foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not. The practical effect is that listed public authorities will have to consider how their policies, programmes and service delivery will affect people with the protected characteristics.

Further information is available on Parliament’s website.