The aim of the Equality Act is to harmonise discrimination law, and to strengthen the law to support progress on equality.
The main elements of the Act are:
the reduction of nine major pieces of legislation, and around 100 statutory instruments into a single Act, making the law more accessible and easier to understand, so that everyone can be clear on their rights and responsibilities.
the extension of protection against direct discrimination and harassment to people who are either perceived to have a disability or who are associated with someone who has a disability.
the extension of protection against indirect discrimination to disabled people
the enabling of regulations outlawing age discrimination in access to goods and services.
making it easier for disabled people who live in homes with communal areas such as stairs and hallways to be able to use these areas
the creation of a single threshold for making reasonable adjustments
the banning of age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities or services and public functions.
allowing political parties to do more to enable and support disabled people to seek selection for Parliament and other institutions
increasing transparency in the workplace.
making Britain fairer through a single equality duty, which will require public bodies to consider the diverse needs and requirements of their workforce, and the communities they serve, when developing employment policies and when planning services;
extending positive action measures to allow employers to make their organisation or business more representative;
empowering Tribunals to make wider recommendations to stop future employment discrimination.
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