Reflections on the Equality Bill, 2009

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) took over the roles of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Commission for Racial Equality and Disability Rights Commission in October 2007. The EHRC assumed the powers of the previous commissions as well as taking on the additional responsibility for policing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, religion or belief and age. The establishment of a single commission paved the way for an extensive overhaul of discrimination legislation, which has resulted in the Equality Bill 2009. The legislation is due to come into force in the Autumn of 2010. The Government Equalities Office (2008) sets out the reasons for de-cluttering the discrimination laws in an Equality Bill by explaining that: "The development of the discrimination legislation over a period of 40 years has led to legal complexity with nine major pieces of discrimination legislation, around 100 statutory instruments setting out the connecting rules and regulations and more than 2,500 pages of guidance and statutory codes of practice".