United Kingdom

United Kingdom Passes New Equality Act

On 8 April 2010, the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament passed the Equality Act 2010. The Act harmonises existing equality law which previously had been spread across numerous separate pieces of legislation.

The new Equality Act not only combines existing equality legislation into a single comprehensive Act but levels up protection for several grounds of discrimination such as age, disability, gender reassignment, religion or belief and sexual orientation. The Act provides protection from discrimination in employment, access to services and public functions, housing, education and health.

Some of the most notable aspects of the Equality Act 2010 include:
 
• The introduction of a new public sector duty related to socio-economic inequalities;

LGBT and Disability Rights Protected by New Law in Scotland

On 24 March 2010, the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009 came into force. The Act, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 3 June 2009, creates new statutory offences to protect victims who are targeted because of their disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Act provide that if a crime is motivated by malice and ill-will towards a victim because of his or her actual or presumed disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity, then it constitutes an offence “aggravated by prejudice”. Under the Act if an offence has been found to be “aggravated by prejudice”, the court must:

Christopher McCrudden, Raya Muttarak, Heather Hamill Anthony Heath: Affirmative Action without Quotas in Northern Ireland, The Equal Rights Review, Volume Four, 2010, pp. 7 - 14.

This is an article by Christopher McCrudden, Raya Muttarak, Heather Hamill, and Anthony Heath entitled Affirmative Action without Quotas in Northern Ireland. It was published in Volume Four of The Equal Rights Review.

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