EHRC consultation on statutory codes of practice on employment and equal pay

In line with its statutory powers, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will be producing statutory codes of practice to accompany the Equality Bill as the Bill continues its passage through Parliament. The Commission’s aim is to ensure that the final codes are available to support the Act once it becomes law.

The EHRC has now produced draft codes of practice on employment and equal pay for consultation purposes, with the aim of giving employers as much time as possible to respond and influence the final versions of the codes. (The commission is anxious to clarify that this consultation is not an opportunity to influence the final version of the Bill itself, but is confined to the codes of practice.)

The EHRC says that the purpose of the codes of practice is to explain the new statutory provisions so as to ensure that the law is applied consistently by lower courts and tribunals. They will also help make the law accessible to a wider audience, such as those who have obligations and those who have rights (or their representatives). They are acutely aware that they should reflect the needs, expectations and language of the people who are going to use them.

As the Bill is still progressing through parliament, the draft codes are by their very nature incomplete in places, and will be subject to revisions as the Bill itself is amended, as well as in response to the consultation.

Obviously, the new codes draw on the predecessor codes, issued under existing legislation.

The consultation opened on Tuesday 12 January 2010 and closes on Friday 2 April 2010.

The consultation documents are available at:

www.equalityhumanrights.com

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