Clause 82 - General duty to promote equality, I beg to move amendment No. 143, in clause 82, page 50, line 1, leave out 'and'.
Equality Bill [Lords]
10:15 am
Meg Munn (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Sheffield, Heeley, Labour)
I am grateful to my hon. and learned Friend for moving the amendment. She will be aware that the Government are keen to consider the sensitivities and complexities of balancing working lives with caring responsibilities. We recognise the enormous and valuable contribution that carers make to society and we are keen that they should have greater recognition.
My hon. and learned Friend has helpfully described the issues that face carers and discussed the important question of the roles that men and women take. The Government have and will continue to act to ensure the recognition of carers. Employment legislation since 1997 has helped women to advance in the workplace and enabled parents and carers to balance work and family life. The Work and Families Bill, which had its Second Reading on Monday, will extend the law to cover carers of adult relatives; they will be able to request flexible working from April 2007. The Bill before the Committee will empower the Commission for Equality and Human Rights to carry out the important role of the Equal Opportunity Commission for promoting equality for parents and carers. That will be done by raising awareness and encouraging good practice in equality and diversity.
The amendments propose that a duty be laid on public authorities to promote equality of opportunity for carers. However, they are not the best way forward. I have said before that our good friend the discrimination law review is considering the duties that should be required of public authorities. That is the right place to deal with the complex issues that will arise when extending the duty to cover carers. We would need to consider the issues in detail and consult interested and affected parties, especially on the scope of the term ''carer''. That will include consideration of other public sector duties to promote equality of opportunity between persons with dependents and persons without, including the one in Northern Ireland, to which my hon. and learned Friend referred. As she knows, we intend to bring forward a single equality Bill within the life of this Parliament, so the matter is not one of principle; it is about consultation and ensuring that the matter is properly considered.
I thank my hon. and learned Friend for bringing the matter to our attention, and trust that she will withdraw her amendment.