The Bill seeks to address the serious defects in the present framework of equality legislation, setting out a single framework for eliminating discrimination and promoting equality between different people, regardless of their racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sex, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age or disability. The Bill has been drafted in response to the Government's continuing failure to conduct a widespread review of the present fragmented, inconsistent and unsatisfactory system of legislative protection against discrimination. It goes beyond the minimum provisions required by the EC Race Directive (2000/43/EC) and the Employment Directive (2000/78/EC) in tackling all grounds of unfair discrimination in all spheres of activity, including employment, education, the provision of goods, facilities and services, the disposal or management of premises and the management of private members' clubs. It extends the positive duty requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 beyond race to sex and disability. The basic aim of the Equality Bill is to ensure the protection of the dignity and worth of every individual through a single coherent equality regime.

The Bill establishes a single body, the Equality Commission for Great Britain, with a range of statutory powers to oversee the implementation of the Bill and to encourage and enforce observation of the Bill's requirements.

The Equality Bill, together with Explanatory Notes, can be downloaded from the Odysseus Trust's website at www.odysseustrust.org. All responses to the public consultation must be received by 30 September 2002.

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