Equality Act 2010

House of Lords written question – answered at on 12 October 2011.

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Photo of Lord Ouseley Lord Ouseley Crossbench

To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact the reduced resources and the restructuring of the Equality and Human Rights Commission will have on the implementation of the provisions of the Equality Act 2010; and what assessments have been made about the inequalities gap in the United Kingdom.

Photo of Baroness Verma Baroness Verma Lords Spokesperson (Department of Business, Innovation and Skills), Lords Spokesperson (Home Office) (Equalities and Women's Issues), Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On 22 March the Government published a consultation document setting out their proposals to focus the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the areas where it alone can add value-promoting equality, enforcing our discrimination laws and as a UN-accredited national human rights institution. In doing so, it must be able to demonstrate value for taxpayers' money and be accountable. The consultation closed on 15 June, and we are currently considering the responses received. We will set out how we intend to proceed in due course.

We are confident that a smaller, better focused commission will be able to fulfil its statutory duties in relation to the Equality Act 2010 more effectively.

The commission published its first report on progress towards a fairer society, How Fair is Britain, in October 2010. It is required under the Equality Act 2006 to publish its next report by October 2013.

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