03/03/2005

Laws to protect against religious discrimination announced

The government has announced plans for new laws to boost protection against discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.

The new proposals, included in the Equality Bill, would ban both direct and indirect discrimination and victimisation and would cover areas such as public functions and the provision of goods, facilities, services and premises.

The Bill would also cover 'philosophical beliefs', such as atheism and humanism.

It has been illegal to discriminate against a person on the grounds of their religion or belief in the area of employment and vocational training since December 2003. However, the provisions do contain some exemptions, namely faith schools, who need to operate a selection policy based on faith. Charities, religion and belief organisations will be exempt from the new laws, as will acts safeguarding national security.

Home Office Minister for Race Equality and Community Cohesion, Fiona MacTaggart, said: "People in Britain have many different religious beliefs, some have none. But to benefit fully from this diversity we need to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and has equal access to opportunities and public services. That is the foundation for an integrated society in which people of different faiths can have similar chances in life. These measures would ensure that peoples of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds will receive equal protection against discrimination."

(KMcA/SP)

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