Evangelical Alliance highlights concerns over Equality Bill

The Government seems likely to insist on its reinstatement in the Commons

11 November 2005

Although the House of Lords voted to reject the potentially restrictive crime of religious harassment in the Equality Bill on Wednesday, the Evangelical Alliance warns that the Government is likely to insist on its reinstatement in the Commons. They also expressed concern at the late decision to yield to pressure to introduce sexual orientation discrimination into the Bill in the form of secondary legislation.

Head of Public Affairs, Don Horrocks commented, “This Bill is yet another piece of Government legislation that has been rushed in without proper consultation. It was supposed to protect against religious discrimination, but many Christian and other religious community and voluntary organisations could find themselves at risk of having public funding withdrawn and their work closed down if, for example, they displayed religious symbols, prayed, or spoke about God. The Lords have sensibly rejected that part of the Bill that could criminalise organisations that offended peoples’ dignity or made them feel intimidated or humiliated as being too broad and liable to encourage malicious and trivial complaints. But we remain concerned that the Government will overturn the Lords decision in the Commons. We urge the Government therefore to consult with religious bodies to find a robust way of protecting the reasonable expression of religious belief in the public sphere as soon as possible.”

Don Horrocks also said that the decision to deal with discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the areas of goods, services and premises in the same Bill by way of secondary legislation was extremely worrying, with similar fears relating to harassment applying as with religious discrimination.

He said, “We are not opposed to anti-discrimination proposals as such, but introducing them by way of secondary legislation means that the usual democratic methods of full parliamentary scrutiny will be by-passed. Offering a process of consultation beforehand is welcome, but is no substitute for the proper processes of Parliament. The Government previously promised a full pre-legislative consultation exercise to ensure that the evident concerns of religious groups were taken account of. The scenario has now shifted completely and we urge the Government to engage religious groups fully and ensure appropriate protections are built in to guarantee that nothing in the proposed regulations will criminalise peoples’ faith before they press ahead with this legislation.”