§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, when giving effect to European Union equality directives, they will use primary legislation rather than subordinate legislation enacted under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 so as to secure greater coherence in the scope and content of the United Kingdom anti-discrimination legislation. [HL2704]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleTwo directives relating to equality have yet to be implemented: the Race Directive (2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000) and the Employment Directive (2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000).
The Government intend, where practicable, to implement these directives using regulations under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972. This will help to manage the process of implementation in a way which allows sufficient time for consultation and preparation without missing deadlines for implementation agreed with our European partners. This and other proposals for implementing the Race and Employment Directives were set out in Towards Equality and Diversity, published on 13 December 2002.