The Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act; the core provisions of the Act came into force on 1 October 2010, these were followed by some amendments in 2011 and further amendments will follow in 2012.

The Act introduces new measures that have direct implications for Higher Education Institutions. Equality and Diversity has put together some guidance on the main changes (.docx).

NB: As part of the 2011 Budget, the Government has announced that it will consult to remove the requirement under the Equality Act 2010 for employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment of their staff by third parties. The Government considers that this obligation is an ‘unworkable requirement’. On 28 September 2011 the Government re-stated its intention to consult on this provision but no announcement as to when this consultation will take place has been made.

Under the general equality duty set out in the Act, the University has obligations as both an employer and as an education provider. This means that we must, in the exercise of our functions, have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act;
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not;
• foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do.

In addition, as a public sector institution, the University has additional responsibilities under the Specific Public Sector Equality Duty.

These are:

• To publish information to demonstrate compliance with the general equality duty
• To prepare and publish one or more equality objectives.

To find out more about the Equality Act 2010:

Look at these Frequently Asked Questions (.docx)
Visit the Equality and Human Rights Commission website.
Visit the Equality Challenge Unit website.

January 2012