This Bill has been carried over from the previous parliamentary session. Read about the College's work on the Bill so far.

The Equality Bill draws together nine major pieces of legislation and over 100 statutory instruments into a single Act. The aim of the new legislation is to encourage a culture of equality.

This is intended to improve overly complex existing legislation and ensure the public are clear on their rights and responsibilities. Straightforward and practical guidance will be provided as part of the Bill.

The Bill will promote equality, address discrimination and enable equality in the workplace. In particular, it will seek to address gender pay differences and age discrimination. It will include a single equality duty for public bodies, and will ensure that they give regard to discrimination and equality in their purchasing functions.

This legislation will apply to England, Scotland and Wales, with legislative consent motions being sought in relation to the powers of devolved ministers to impose specific duties on public bodies. Northern Ireland has separate discrimination law, and will consider whether to take forward parallel legislation.

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill

This Bill has been carried over from the previous parliamentary session. The College will be pursuing one major issue regarding the removal of Section 141 of the Mental Health Act. Read more.

This bill has been carried over from the previous session, having already reached report stage in the House of Commons.

It would establish a statutory basis for the management of the civil service, including civil service commissioners, a new parliamentary process for the ratification of the treaties and a new corporate structure for the National Audit Office. Additional provisions are included regarding judicial office holders, which would include removing the Prime Minister’s role in the process of appointing Supreme Court Judges.

The Bill would also end by-elections for hereditary peers, and introduce suspension, resignation and expulsion measures for the House of Lords, including disqualification of peers convicted of serious criminal offences or subject to bankruptcy restriction orders.

Rules on protests around Parliament would be repealed and replaced with a regime guaranteeing access to Parliament.

Read more