Peers raise questions about Equality Act 2010 Code of Practice

[IwantToRetire]

• “The draft Code covers the provision of single-sex services and outlines the circumstances in which it may be legitimate to ask individuals to provide confirmation that they are of the eligible sex or to exclude individuals from accessing such services. Given that decisions to question individuals may be based on appearance, but that there is no official record or document in the UK which provides reliable evidence of sex, how will this work in practice?

• The costs associated with necessary changes to service user facilities such as toilets and changing rooms will impact a range of organisations that provide services or public functions. How will the impact on the services sector, small businesses and voluntary bodies in particular be monitored?

• The draft Code may have a negative impact on those with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment and on relations between people who share particular protected characteristics and those who do not. How will the impacts on groups and relations between groups be monitored?

• To bring the draft Code into effect two further instruments are required: an order to commence the new Code and another to revoke the existing Code. Why has the existing Code not yet been revoked and what is the timetable for laying the revocation order and bringing the revised Code into force?”

Extracts only https://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/governance/396-governance-news/100846-peers-raise-questions-about-equality-act-2010-code-of-practice

Oh FFS 🤦‍♀️. Surely someone somewhere in Parliament knows that this merely interprets the law? That changing or blocking this will not change the law?

To their points:

(i) People will use their eyes (as we did pre-2010)

(ii) Many small cafes and other businesses open to the public have one, universal toilet. The code is clear that this is entirely acceptable so there will be no net cost to these businesses. Organisations that have inappropriately labelled toilets as mixed sex without appropriate adaptations may be required to amend this. All costs should be proportionate (and, as an aside, I don’t remember anyone complaining about the cost of adapting toilets to include special men).

(iii) Sounds like they are confusing this code with the Public Sector Equality Duty

(iv) This one sounds sensible

Who are these people "The cross-party House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee"

Do they have any power or is it just a talking shop.

Its depressing that so many people are "in all honesty" making such heavy weather of this.

Almost as if they are scared to say, the guidelines will ensure single sex provision.