Women and Equalities written question – answered at on 17 October 2019.
Vincent Cable
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Health and Social Care)
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans the Government has to strengthen protections in the Equality Act 2010 for people with mental health problems who experience discrimination.
Victoria Atkins
Minister for Women, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
Tacking mental health discrimination in the workplace is a priority for the Government. We are considering the scope for further support and protection for people with mental health conditions.
The Equality Act 2010 already protects people whose mental health conditions meet the definition of disability in the Act, specifically a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities’.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
