unit:11 assignment: 1
Legislation and the Rights of Individuals
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 came in to force on the 1st of October 2010 which legally protects people from discrimination based on their characteristics in the work place or in a health and social care service. These are the protected characteristics:
• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partner ships
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
The act replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single act, making it easier to understand and strengthen protection in complicated situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone. Before the act came into force there were several pieces of legislation to cover discrimination:
• Sex discrimination act 1975
• Race relation act 1976
• Disability discrimination 1995
The Equality act provisions:
• The basic frame work of protection against direct discrimination, harassment and victimisation in services, public functions, work, education, associations and transport.
• Clearer protection for breast feeding mothers.
• Providing protection for people discriminated against because they are perceived to have or are associated with someone who has a protected characteristic.
• Applying a uniform definition of indecent discrimination to all protected characteristics.
• Harmonising provisions allowing voluntary positive action.
Provisions relating to a disability:
• Extending protection against indecent discrimination to disability.
• Introducing the concept of “discrimination arising from disability” to replace protection under previous legislation lost as a result of a legal judgement.
• Making it more difficult for disabled people to be unfairly screened out when applying for jobs, by restricting the circumstances in which employees can ask job applications questions about disability or health.
Provisions relating to work:
• Allowing claims for
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 came in to force on the 1st of October 2010 which legally protects people from discrimination based on their characteristics in the work place or in a health and social care service. These are the protected characteristics:
• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partner ships
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
The act replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single act, making it easier to understand and strengthen protection in complicated situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone. Before the act came into force there were several pieces of legislation to cover discrimination:
• Sex discrimination act 1975
• Race relation act 1976
• Disability discrimination 1995
The Equality act provisions:
• The basic frame work of protection against direct discrimination, harassment and victimisation in services, public functions, work, education, associations and transport.
• Clearer protection for breast feeding mothers.
• Providing protection for people discriminated against because they are perceived to have or are associated with someone who has a protected characteristic.
• Applying a uniform definition of indecent discrimination to all protected characteristics.
• Harmonising provisions allowing voluntary positive action.
Provisions relating to a disability:
• Extending protection against indecent discrimination to disability.
• Introducing the concept of “discrimination arising from disability” to replace protection under previous legislation lost as a result of a legal judgement.
• Making it more difficult for disabled people to be unfairly screened out when applying for jobs, by restricting the circumstances in which employees can ask job applications questions about disability or health.
Provisions relating to work:
• Allowing claims for