HL Deb 16 November 1998 vol 594 c136WA
Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will introduce measures to make it unlawful for public authorities to discriminate on grounds of sex, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, disability or sexual orientation in the discharge of their public functions. [HL3767]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

The Government are committed to securing equality of opportunities for all their citizens. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA), the Race Relations Act 1976 (RRA) and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 support this principle. All these Acts are under review. The Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality, in their recent reviews of the SDA and the RRA, have made recommendations about the role of public bodies in opposing discrimination on a range of grounds. The Government have established the Disability Task Force to make recommendations by July 1999 on how to secure comprehensive and enforceable civil rights for disabled people.