Equality Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 212B:"After Clause 80, insert the following new clause—" ““PART 2A DISCRIMINATION ON GROUNDS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION Key concepts    In this Part ““sexual orientation”” means a sexual orientation towards— (a)   persons of the same sex; (b)   persons of the opposite sex; or (c)   persons of the same sex and of the opposite sex.”” The noble Lord said: I shall speak also to Amendments Nos. 212C to 212U. I also hope that I will not be speaking in vain. These are comprehensive amendments that would outlaw discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services on the grounds of sexual orientation and give comparable protection to that being offered to religious communities in the Bill. During Committee on 11 July, my noble friend Lady   Turner of Camden moved and withdrew amendments that, in broad terms, tried to achieve much the same thing. I am grateful to her for her support, as well as to the noble Lord, Lord Lester of Herne Hill, for his enduring support. This is an enormously important issue—important because men and women continue to encounter discrimination in their daily lives simply because they happen to be lesbian or gay. They can receive second-class treatment from public service providers, such as the NHS; they can be turned away by businesses, such as hotels and insurance companies. That problem exists now. The evidence is before us. I know that the hour is getting late. I could give my noble friend many more examples, but I know that she and my noble friend Lady Ashton of Upholland share my concern. I know that they, too, would like these provisions to go through, and that what divides us is not intent but timing. I have been very grateful for the courtesy that my noble friend on the Front Bench and her colleagues have shown me and others during the passage of this Bill, particularly given the sensitivities and emotions that many of those issues involve. If the Minister were to follow the lead of the noble Baroness, Lady Ashton of Upholland, when she said at the Dispatch Box,"““there is an open door; there is no question but that this Government and this Minister wish to do this. We are simply discussing when and how to make sure we do it properly””.—[Official Report, 11/07/05; col. 894.]," then I would be more than happy to withdraw this amendment and to work with the noble Baroness and her civil servants to find a way to make progress on these issues in the Bill over the summer. I look forward to hearing what the noble Baroness has to say. I beg to move.