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Codes of practice on discrimination set to change

26 January 2010

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched a consultation on three new discrimination codes of practice (the Codes) to support the Equality Bill when it comes into force.

The Codes will be particularly useful tools for HR departments and cover the following areas:

They are intended to replace the current codes of practice which were previously issued by the old Equal Opportunities Commission, Commission for Racial Equality, and Disability Rights Commission (all of which were replaced by the EHRC).
 
The Codes will reflect the approach of the Equality Bill so that they do not focus on single equality strands such as race, sex or disability, but take a more overarching approach. 
The main purpose of the Codes is to provide a detailed explanation of equalities legislation and to apply the legal concepts to everyday work-related situations. This will assist courts and tribunals when interpreting the law and help employers, advisers and others who need to apply the law.

The Codes are important because an employment tribunal will be able to take their recommendations into account in discrimination cases.

Therefore, if an employer has not complied with best practice recommendations a tribunal may consider this when deciding whether or not a discrimination claim should succeed.

Source

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/legislative-framework/equality-bill/equality-bill-codes-of-practice-consultation/

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