Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the avenues available to disabled persons to (a) access and (b) enforce their rights as prescribed by the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) protects people who have a long-term physical or mental impairment that substantially affects their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The Act provides a range of protection for disabled people in a range of areas of life - including employment, services, education and transport. The types of protection include direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, discrimination arising from disability, the duty to make reasonable adjustments, harassment and victimisation.

Any disabled person who may have been personally discriminated against because of a disability may also contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS). EASS is a government-commissioned helpline that provides free advice and support to individuals in England, Scotland, and Wales on issues relating to equality and human rights. Although EASS does not provide legal advice or enforce the Equality Act 2010, it supports individuals to resolve their disputes informally and can refer cases to the Equality & Human Rights Commission.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has an enforcement role and is able to provide individuals with support in bringing cases. As an independent body, it makes its own decisions on how best to use its resources to offer support in cases that have a strategic or wider significance.

Further details about the referral process is available on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/our-work/our-legal-work/our-legal-powers/contacting-us-about-legal-issue.