Equality Bill [HL]

I sincerely thank all Members of the Committee who contributed to the debate. I particularly thank the noble Baroness, Lady Turner, because she mentioned the fact that a conscience clause could not be available in civil contracts. However, abortion is not a civil contract—I thank the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, for mentioning abortion—and people are allowed a conscience clause. The noble Lord, Lord Lester of Herne Hill, brings up all the issues too. I ask him and the Minister about   people who joined an occupation and have been there for many years, and then because of Acts of   Parliament there are changes in their terms of employment. Is it valid for them not to have some tolerance given to them, so that they have an ability—a practical solution, to use the same words as the Minister—to make sure that other people are available? The right reverend Prelate reiterated—we all know—that civil partnerships are not same-sex marriages. Equally, he must know that every time the Act is referred to, they are called same-sex marriages. The people who do not use that term write official documents and are in Parliament. That is just the way it is. No matter what the Act says, people do not think that it means that. Of course I accept that Parliament has passed the three Acts that I mentioned. They are the law of the land and we all abide by them and accept them. But people for whom, when they were first employed there was no such thing as civil partnerships, adoption by same-sex couples or—I cannot even remember what the third example was. Ten, 15 or 20 years down the line, they now find themselves in positions where they are faced with those issues. Surely there must be some way of showing equality or tolerance to them, as the rest of us who have strong religious convictions show tolerance and a sense of justice to everyone else.