Out-Law / Your Daily Need-To-Know

SNIPPET: Last week we reported that the Government Equality Office had withdrawn the published timetable for implementing the Equality Act.

We read that withdrawal as meaning that the new Government was going to change what parts of the Act were introduced when. One of our experts, Selwyn Blyth, gave us an insight into the changes the Conservative Party promised, and what parts of the Act it said it would scrap.

The GEO itself told us that the withdrawal of the published timetable was due to the change in Government and that the new Government was not bound to follow the plans of the last one.

Now the GEO has reinstated the original timetable, saying that "the Government Equalities Office continues to work on the basis of the previously announced timetable, which envisaged commencement of the Act's core provisions in October 2010".

This isn't what they were saying last week, but at least there is some certainty now for employers who would be forgiven for being a little confused. So now they know: the 'core provisions' of the Act will be introduced this year as planned, though the GEO has left the door open for some changes to what exactly will become law.

Struan Robertson

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