Equality

This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on equality. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.

Standard Notes

DateDescription
16.07.2013Pensions: civil partnerships and same sex marriages
This note looks at the way in which forming a civil partnership affects rights to state, occupational and personal pensions and at the relevant provisions in the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill 2012-13
18.06.2013Inheritance tax and civil partnerships
This note looks at the debate on the tax treatment of spouses and civil partners, in the context of the passage of the Civil Partnerships Act 2004, and the provisions in Budget 2005 to ensure the tax system treated each in the same way
23.04.2013Parking: disabled drivers
This note is chiefly concerned with the blue badge scheme; it also includes sections on the provision of parking bays and on off-street parking for disabled people.
03.04.2013Disability discrimination: access to goods, services and facilities under the Equality Act 2010
An overview of the duties owed by providers of goods, services and facilities to ensure that they do not discriminate against disabled people in accessing these goods, facilities and services.
21.03.2013The Public Sector Equality Duty and Equality Impact Assessments
This note provides an overview of the public sector equality duty, contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, and Equality Impact Assessments.

Research Papers

DateDescription
10.09.2012Mental Health (Discrimination) (No 2) Bill
This briefing has been prepared for the Second Reading of the Mental Health (Discrimination) (No 2) Bill on 14 September 2012. The Bill is sponsored by Gavin Barwell MP, who was fourth in the 2012-13 ballot for Private Members' Bills.
15.10.2010Social Indicators
This Research Paper summarises a wide range of social statistics. Subjects covered include crime and justice, defence, education, elections, health and population. This edition includes an article in advance of UN World Statistics Day (20.10.2010) on statistical literacy. It also includes articles entitled 'Electoral registration' and 'Public opinion of the police', and a topical subject page: 'How fair is Britain?'
12.11.2009Equality Bill : Committee stage report
Legislation to outlaw discrimination has existed for over 40 years. Typically, new Acts have had as their focus one area of policy, for example, pay, equal treatment of women, race discrimination etc. Almost inevitably, the body of current law, introduced piece meal over such a long period, has developed inconsistencies of both content and approach. As well as introducing new requirements one of the main aims of this Bill is to harmonise existing law into a more coherent whole.
07.05.2009Equality Bill (Bill 85 of 2008-09)
Legislation to outlaw discrimination has existed for over 40 years. Typically, new Acts have had as their focus one area of policy, for example, pay, equal treatment of women, race discrimination etc. Almost inevitably, the body of current law, introduced piece meal over such a long period, has developed inconsistencies of both content and approach. As well as introducing new requirements one of the main aims of this Bill is to harmonise existing law into a more coherent whole.
23.01.2009Welfare Reform Bill: disabled people, child maintenance and birth registration
This paper is one of two which examine the main proposals of the Welfare Reform Bill 2008-09. It deals with Parts 2-4 of the Bill, which include provisions for a new right for disabled people to control how public resources are used to meet their needs, new powers to enforce child maintenance, and for the joint registration of births. See also Research Paper 09/08.

Select Committee Reports

DateDescription
01.11.2010Department for Work and Pensions memorandum to the Work and Pensions Select committee on post-legislative...
Department for Work and Pensions report [Commons]
28.07.2010Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Government response. Home Office report [Commons]
12.07.2010Women in the City.
Government response. Treasury report [Commons]
22.03.2010Women in the City.
Treasury Select Committee report [Commons]
02.03.2010Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Human Rights Joint Select Committee report [Commons and Lords]

Early Day Motions

DateDescription
11.01.2012WOMEN AND JOB SHARING
That this House welcomes the Capability Jane/Working Families report published in December 2011 entitled Job Sharing at a Senior Level: Making it Work; notes that the expectation of ...
12.12.2011EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYMENT: FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
That this House expresses its support for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) approach to equal opportunities employment and rejection of prejudice in deciding appointments ...
03.11.2011DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE AFFECTED BY LEPROSY
That this House notes that leprosy is completely curable; welcomes LEPRA Health in Action's Humanity in Action campaign to enddiscrimination againstpeople affected by leprosy worldwide; ...
12.10.2011NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
That this House congratulates Tawakul Karman, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee as worthy and deserving joint recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize 2011; notes that in ...
15.09.2011WOMEN AND THE KENYAN CONSTITUTION
That this House welcomes the provision in Kenya's new constitution for one third of members of the Kenyan parliament to be women; expresses support for the Kenyan women fighting to ...

Lords Library Notes

DateDescription
24.06.2013Debate on 27 June: the Challenges Faced by Women in Developing Countries
This Library Note focuses on the challenges faced by women in the developing world, and the action which is being taken by the UK Government, international governments and multilateral aid organisations to address these challenges. It briefly considers the significance of gender within the field of international development, and goes on to summarise some of the key research and statistics on the position of women in the developing world, focusing on four areas: education, employment, health, and violence against women.
11.02.2013Succession to the Crown Bill (HL Bill 81 of 2012-13)
The Succession to the Crown Bill makes changes to the laws of succession to the Crown. This Library Note summarises the proceedings which have taken place on the Bill during its passage through the House of Commons, ahead of the Bill's second reading debate in the House of Lords on 14 February 2013.
10.12.2009Equality Bill (HL Bill 20 of 2009-10). LLN 2009/012
Equality Bill. House of Lords Library Note 2009/012

POST Papers

DateDescription
25.10.2012Mental Health and the Workplace
This note summarises how the workplace affects mental health and vice versa.

Glossary

  • Research Papers (RP) - briefings produced by the House of Commons Library on Bills, topical issues and regular statistics
  • Standard Notes (SN) - shorter, topical briefings from the Commons Library
  • Early Day Motions (EDMs) - formal motions submitted by MPs in the House of Commons
  • POST Notes - short briefing notes produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
  • Lords Library Notes (LLN) - papers compiled by the House of Lords Library on Bills and for debates in the Lords