Equality Bill [HL]

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 6:30 pm on 19 October 2005.

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Photo of Baroness Scotland of Asthal Baroness Scotland of Asthal Minister of State (Criminal Justice and Offender Management), Home Office, Minister of State (Home Office) (Criminal Justice and Offender Management) 6:30, 19 October 2005

My Lords, government Amendments Nos. 111, 112, 113, 114, 116 and 118 stand in the name of my noble and learned friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton. Together, they make it clear that discrimination and harassment under Clauses 46 and 47 can be unlawful even when committed against a person of the same religion as the discriminator or harasser. That is the intention, and we believe the effect, of the clauses as they stand but the new formulation resolves any doubt on the matter. The noble Lord, Lord Lester, raised concerns about the clauses, so we took them away to see whether we could make them clearer, because it was clear in Committee that we all wanted the same thing. The question was whether the wording was correctly drafted. I hope that the way in which the amendments are drafted gives the clarity that we all sought. I beg to move.