Clause 44 - Discrimination
Equality Bill [Lords]
10:45 am
Dominic Grieve (Shadow Attorney General, (Assist the Home Affairs Team); Beaconsfield, Conservative)
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for providing some reassurance about the British Humanist Association. These are probing amendments. I find that when Bills are in Committee I am rung up by all sorts of people who express horror at amendments I have tabled. The Christian Institute was on to me last week expressing anxiety about some of the amendments that we will come to later. I had to point out politely that they are probing amendments designed to stimulate debate.
The hon. Gentleman made some good points. I want to make one thing clear: it was never and would never be my intention to remove from humanists protection concerning their beliefs. I fully acknowledge that the rather provocative way in which I tabled the amendments might have that unintended consequence, which is why I intended, having listened to the debate, to go away and think further about whether anything else needed to be done to the clauses.