§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current allocation of responsibility among Ministers of the Crown for the development and co-ordination of policy on legislative measures to combat discrimination and promote equality. [HL4872]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn)All Ministers are responsible for mainstreaming and promoting equality through their policies and management. Other Ministers responsible for the development and co-ordination of policy specifically on discrimination legislation are: Secretary of State, Home Office, who has lead responsibility for race and religion; Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions, who has lead responsibility for policy on disability and age; Secretary of State, Department for Trade and Industry, who has lead responsibility for gender and sexual orientation.
The Department for Trade and Industry also has particular responsibility for preparing legislation to outlaw discrimination at work on the new grounds of age, sexual orientation and religion.
The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, chairs the Cabinet sub-committee on equality, and is responsible for co-ordinating the Government's policies on equality issues.