Clause 79

Part of Equality Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 7:15 pm on 23 June 2009.

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Photo of Vera Baird Vera Baird Solicitor General, Attorney General's Office 7:15, 23 June 2009

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.

Clause

A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.

Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.

During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.

When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.