Equality Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 1:00 pm ar 25 Mehefin 2009.
Mark Harper
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
I have a brief question on the Clause, which is relatively uncontroversial. Explanatory note 364 states:
“Currently, two assessors sit with judges in cases involving race and sex discrimination only. This clause extends the requirement to have assessors for cases of discrimination based on any protected characteristic...but reduces the number of assessors used in each case to one.”
Why have the Government made that decision?
Vera Baird
Solicitor General, Attorney General's Office
I suppose that we may run short of assessors now that we have extended the range. It seems as if one will suffice, granted that there are new training components for judges, so they ought to be more expert—not that they are not experts already.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
