An inquiry into the enforcement of the Equalities Act 2010 – the framework designed to protect the rights of individuals and advance equal opportunity – has been launched by the Women and Equalities Committee.
Research by the Committee found that individuals are having difficulties enforcing their rights under the Act and has questioned the effectiveness of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Inquiries on maternity discrimination, older people and employment and sexual harassment in the workplace all identified problems with enforcement.
“Many of our inquiries inevitably focus on the problems with enforcement of equality legislation and critique the role of the EHRC,” commented Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Maria Miller MP. “This inquiry will provide the opportunity for a more systematic review of the causes and identify possible solutions.
“We want to look at whether the Equality Act creates an unfair burden on individual people to enforce their right not to be discriminated against. How easy is it for people to understand and enforce their rights? How effective is enforcement action? Are tribunals accessible and remedies for findings of discrimination effective? Is the EHRC able to do its job properly? Those are just some of the questions we are seeking to answer.
I would encourage people to submit evidence to our inquiry if they are able to provide more information on those points.”
The Committee has already made recommendations to improve the enforcement of the Equality Act, such as extending time limits to bring certain employment cases, ensuring adequate financial penalties are in place, increasing use of powers by the EHRC and encouraging greater action from regulators to tackle discrimination.
This latest inquiry will focus on what more needs to be done to achieve widespread compliance with the Equality Act 2010 for all those with rights under it.
Send your submission using the written submission form. The deadline is Friday 5 October 2018.
