Strategic Equality Plan - swfrs

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Strategic Equality Plan
3. The Equality Act 2010
In February 2005, the United Kingdom Government set up the Discrimination
Law Review, to look at inconsistencies in the discrimination law framework and
to consider how best to achieve clearer and more streamlined equality
legislation, that results in better outcomes for those who experience
disadvantage.
The resulting Equality Bill received Royal Assent in April 2010. The Equality Act
2010 came into effect the1st October 2010 and repealed all the primary
discrimination legislation (including the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race
Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Regulations
concerning protection from discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation,
religion or belief and age) as well as many secondary pieces of legislation,
bringing equality laws under one Act.
Key areas
The new Act:
Provides powers to extend age discrimination protection outside the
workplace
Clarifies protection against discrimination by association, for example in
relation to a mother who cares for her disabled child
Extends protection from discrimination on the grounds of gender
reassignment to school pupils
Extends discrimination protection in the terms of membership and
benefits for private clubs and associations
Creates a unified public sector duty, intended to promote equality in
public policy and decision-making, existing provisions being extended to
the protected characteristics of sexual orientation, age and religion or
belief, and proposes a new public sector duty related to socioeconomic
inequalities
Provides for legislation requiring that employers review gender pay
differences within their organisations and publish the results
Provides for changes to the way that individual claims are enforced, and
gives employment tribunals wider powers to make recommendations for
the collective benefit of employees
Allows a UK Minister of the Crown to amend UK equality legislation to
comply with European law without the need for primary legislation
The Act also provides definitions for: direct discrimination, discrimination arising
from disability, discrimination by perception, discrimination by association,
indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimisation.
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