Featherstone: socio-economic duty 'weak'
Lynne Featherstone tells parliament why the government is scrapping controversial rules that would have forced public bodies to look at ways of tackling inequality caused by class.
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The Equalities Minister today answered a question about the socio-economic duty from Fiona Taggert MP.
Lynne Featherstone told Parliament that the policy, which formed part of the 2010 Equality Act, was a ‘weak measure’.
Box to tick
She continued: ‘All the policy would have been was a bureaucratic box to tick; it would have been just another form to fill in; it would have distracted hard pressed council staff and other public sector workers away from coming up with the right policies that will make a real difference to people’s chances in life.’
New laws aren’t necessary to protect the vulnerable, she argued. Action that will be taken is as follows:
- child tax credits for the poorest families will be increased
- spending on the NHS and schools in real terms every year will be increased.
- 880 thousand of the lowest paid workers will not longer have to pay income tax
- lowest paid public sector workers will be protected from the public sector pay freeze
Read the Home Secretary’s speech on equality which she gave yesterday in central London.