Equality Bill [HL]

Before the noble Baroness answers that, I listened carefully to what she said, because it was a very important statement. Unfortunately, I do not think that I gathered it all correctly. I think that she said that you would not expect to be preached to when receiving something supported by public funds. I understand that point of view, but will she address her mind to a certain type of business such as Barnabas House, which I mentioned and mention again simply because it is an organisation of which I have slight knowledge and is a good example? That is a hostel set up by a Church—the Baptist Church—to look after people in distress. There are about 15 or 20 people there. Of course it receives public funds to keep it going. It is doing an immense amount of good to people in the locality and funds are correctly given to it to support it. When a local authority says, ““Yes, but you must not have bibles there. You must not say grace before meals because someone there who is not of that faith might be offended. Therefore””—the argument goes—““you must not do that or you will have your grant removed””. That is a tremendously dictatorial thing for any local authority to say or do, but it would say that it is doing it because that is what the law says. It is perfectly right for that Church or any other to run its hostels as it thinks fit and for such hostels to incorporate any kind of religious belief that they may have been set up to have. I am sure that the noble Baroness would not think that such an arrangement should result in the hostel losing its support from public funds and the people whom it helps no longer being helped.