Clause 24
Equality Bill
9:30 am
Evan Harris (Oxford West and Abingdon, Liberal Democrat)
I think that amendment 232 to clause 27 is consequential on the amendments that I and my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green have tabled. I am happy to deal with it now rather than on clause 27, if that is convenient, although obviously you would need to agree to that, Mr. Benton. However, if I deal with it appropriately now, I will not need to speak to it later.
There is a threefold purpose to my amendments. The first is to extend the protection from harassment in law to captive populations—people who cannot escape harassment, and vulnerable people in particular. That could include people in the education system—pupils at school, for example—or users of public services who, given the nature of those services, might be vulnerable. They might rely on those public services and they should not have to suffer harassment while accessing them.
The clause provides protection from harassment to all the strands except two; I will come to that during the clause stand part debate. However, other parts of the Bill specifically exclude discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, religion and belief, and gender reassignment—to use the Government’s term—in certain areas.