Equality Bill

My Lords, this amendment has again been brought to our attention by the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee. It highlighted that subsection (1) of Clause 200 disapplies the hybrid instrument procedure for all the powers subject to the affirmative instrument in this Bill. I am grateful that the Minister and her team have looked into the eight affirmative instruments already in light of the report of the committee. We now see that we were right to table these amendments and raise the concern that perhaps it was not necessary to disapply the hybridity procedure from all these instruments when it applies only to a few. The Government have recognised that and have now limited the disapplication. We are grateful that that has now been changed but rather concerned that there appear to have been so many drafting errors or broad brush powers contained in a Bill that the Government have had more than enough time to scrutinise themselves again and again. It is concerning that there are so many changes to be made and worrying that there may be many more that have yet to be found. This is a complex Bill and it is vital that the Government’s equality legacy is not riddled with errors and omissions. I beg to move.