Equality Bill

While we have discussed some of the issues related to the mechanics and functions of the public sector equality duty, we have not discussed the importance of the effect of what we are seeking to do. The measure of this clause will lie not in the high ideals which it invokes but the effectiveness of the results it produces on the ground. For this reason, Amendment 110 would require a public authority to collect and publish data on an annual basis that would demonstrate how the authority had met the requirements of the public sector equality duty in the exercise of its functions. Within this group, we are to debate Amendment 114A and we look forward to hearing the noble Baroness, Lady Young of Hornsey, who I understand will be speaking to it. Her amendment addresses the same issue but from a different perspective and would mean that an outside agency would assess the extent to which the requirements under Clause 148(1) had been met. We on these Benches are in favour of doing everything we can to ensure that the public sector equality duty lives up to the ideals contained in the clause. I suppose that, as has happened in the past with the policies of this Government, we see a legislative approach which calls for high ideals but lacks the mechanics within the Bill to make that happen. The importance of this clause will, I contend, stem not from its lofty aspirations but from real and measurable outcomes on the ground. If there is one message that I want to get across today, it is to keep stressing outcomes because we believe that the measure of the target is in its success. For this reason, we would argue that there ought to be some form of systematic reporting which spans the sector and shows where and how successful outcomes are occurring, and what should be changed in order to make the duty even more effective. As the legislation stands, the public sector equality duty is very vague; we would welcome some more clarity here. Indeed, I hope that the noble Baroness the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be able to provide some when she responds to this debate. Each business is, however, different and each will have its own way of doing things as it believes works best in the particular circumstances relevant to that organisation. The public sector equality duty therefore has to be sufficiently flexible to adjust to each specific need. Here, just for a moment, I give the Government the benefit of the doubt. I am sure that they must have a system in place here, but it would be very useful to hear what that is because it is not laid out in the Bill. One hopes that the Government accept this key point: that the outcomes and not simply the aim, however commendable, will be the important result of this legislation. I beg to move.