With permission, Mr Speaker I’d like to set out to the House today how the government proposes to make further progress towards the fair and equal society which we want to see.

I am pleased to announce that we are today publishing our key proposals for the Equality Bill in a document entitled Framework for a Fairer Future.  Copies are available in the Vote Office.

For us, equality is a matter of principle – it always has been. As the Prime Minister set out on Wednesday in his announcement on social mobility, we want to address the serious inequalities that persist.  Addressing these inequalities and creating a fairer society is important for three reasons:

Firstly, fairness is important for the individual.  No-one should have to put up with discrimination

Secondly, fairness is important for our society – a society which is equal and fair is one which is more at ease with itself

Thirdly, fairness is important for our economy -  an economy which sees no-one pushed to the margins or excluded brings the widest pool of workers to employers.  Diversity makes us outward facing and helps us compete in the global economy.

The first equality law was brought in by a Labour government more than 40 years ago.  And progress has been made to outlaw discrimination against you if you are black, if you are a woman, if you are lesbian or gay, if you are disabled, or if you are old.  But though progress has been made, inequality and discrimination still persist.

• Men who work full time still earn 40% more per hour than women who work part time.
• though more disabled people are now working than ever before, a disabled person is still 2 and half times more likely to be out of work.
• if you are black or Asian you are less likely to be in work and if you are in work you are more likely to be earning below the level of your qualifications.
• homophobic bullying still blights the lives of most lesbian or gay young people
• and its still perfectly lawful to tell someone – sorry you’re too old –to refuse anything from healthcare to insurance.

 The Bill and package of measures that I will outline to the House  today represents a radical shift in our approach to fighting unfairness and breathes fresh life into our equality agenda.

What I am announcing today is a package of measures which includes

• the Equality Bill we promised in our last manifesto
• secondary legislation and
• action by the new Equality and Human Rights Commission

We expect everyone -

• the public sector
• firms which do business with the public sector and
• companies in the private sector -

Everyone must play their part.

On pay – at the current rate – it will take another 80 years before women are paid the same as men.

But it’s impossible to tackle discrimination when it is hidden.  That’s why we want a new era of openness when it comes to pay.  So that women can see – in their own workplace – how much more men get paid than them.

So, just as every school has to publish their exam results – so parents can see -  and every hospital has to publish its waiting lists – so patients can see – I want employer to report on key equality matters, like gender pay.

This will put the spotlight on pay unfairness which we all know goes on but which stays swept under the carpet.

The public sector will lead by example.  But 80% of people are employed in the private sector and the pay gap is double that of the public sector.  So we must have progress on pay in the private sector. 

We will do that in five ways

1. through the fact that 30% of all companies do £160 billions worth of business with the public sector – by  considering how public procurement can be used to to deliver transparency and change.
2. the Equality Bill will outlaw clauses in employment contracts which prohibit employees disclosing their pay to each other.
3. where an employer has been found to have unlawfully discriminated, we will provide for the Employment Tribunal to be able to make a recommendation applying not just to the successful complainant but to everyone in that workplace.
4. The Equality and Human Rights Commission will conduct inquiries under its legal powers into sectors where most progress needs to be made – starting with the financial services sector.
5. And through a new kite-mark system, we will challenge companies to report on equality

We expect business will increasingly regard reporting on their progress on equality as an important part of explaining to investors, employees and others the prospects for the company. We will review progress on transparency and its contribution to the achievement of equality outcomes, and in light of this, consider over the next five years, using existing legislation for greater transparency in company reporting on equality.

Many people still seem to think it’s acceptable to discriminate against someone because they are older. It’s not.  And with the number of people over 85 set to double over the next 20 years – it makes no sense.    People are not over the hill at 60 to be either refused insurance or discriminated against in healthcare.  We will lay down in the Equality Bill duties on the public sector to eliminate age discrimination and promote age equality.  And we will take powers to outlaw age discrimination in the provision of goods and services.  We will need to allow for a transitional period for changes to be made to comply with the law before it comes into effect, but work is already underway, and we will consult on making provisions to bring the new law into force more quickly in those sectors which are ready to comply with the law.

On disability, too, we need to be able to see who is including disabled people in their workforce and who is shutting them out.  That way, we can see who is making progress year on year, compare comparable organisations, learn from the best and challenge the worst.

We need to make further progress on fairness.  That’s why we will legislate to give more scope for employers, if they want to increase the number of women or black or Asian employees – to take positive action.  This will help the police, for example, who want to make more progress on diversity because they know that they can be most effective when they reflect the ethnicity of the communities they serve. And in order to allow progress on women’s representation in the House of Commons to continue – we will extend the permission for all-women shortlists for parliamentary selection until 2030.  And we will consider with the Commissioner for Public Appointments whether a specific power to encourage diversity for appointments within her remit would assist her in this task.

Next month I will publish a further paper setting out our proposals in greater detail, and over the coming months, there will be a continuous and determined programme of further action, which will include:

-         considering whether there is a case for representative actions;

-         working out whether we can toughen the law to give redress to people who suffer discrimination on multiple grounds

-         working with the Trade Unions to strengthen the excellent and pioneering role of Trade Union Equality Reps.

This package will see us make further progress towards a fair and equal society.  A single statute to replace the complex web of legislation that has grown up over the years will make it easier for people to know their rights and their obligations.  And the Equality Bill will be published written in plain English alongside the necessary legal language.

In the past, when Labour has brought in laws to promote equality they have been controversial.  But I hope that now, in the 21^st Century, there will be agreement that we must all play our part in making this country fairer. 

Ends