Equality Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 132:"Page 17, line 23, leave out subsection (5)." The noble Baroness said: This is a probing amendment, which I am pleased to move. I recognise that I may have misread the Bill, but it seems to me that   subsection (5) restricts assistance to cases under equality law and, as such, places an undue restriction on the new commission. The commission should be free to bring strategic legal cases under relevant employment and non-transposed EU law; for example, under the part-time workers directive. Such a prohibition does not exist in current discriminatory legislation. The current commissioners have always exercised their discretion responsibly, and I am sure that future commissioners would do so as well. I hope that my noble friend can assure me that the clause is not restrictive. I beg to move.