Clause 79
Equality Bill
7:15 pm
Vera Baird (Solicitor General, Attorney General's Office; Redcar, Labour)
It is not through discrimination legislation that pregnant schoolgirls or young mothers will get the help that they need, but through sensitive handling by the school. There is an absolute bar on pregnancy as a ground for exclusion. No schoolgirl should be excluded for getting pregnant. A teenage pregnancy strategy ensures that pupils receive support and tuition to complete their education, and dedicated reintegration officers work with schools and pupils to advise on the best way to accommodate and re-engage them in education. In addition, the new public sector duty will ensure that schools have regard for pupils who become pregnant. We feel that it is most appropriate to protect that category of person through that mechanism and other protections.
I do not totally follow the point of the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon about the explanatory notes. When I do, I will drop him a line.