Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the Equalities Act 2010 in order to more actively support (a) deaf, (b) deafblind and (c) hard of hearing women.

The Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people. Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing women are afforded protections under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), in relation to the sex and disability protected characteristics.

The Act makes it clear that businesses and public bodies that provide goods and services to the public must not unlawfully discriminate against disabled people, including those who are deaf or have hearing impairments. The Act places an anticipatory duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. The Act is clear that the failure by a service provider to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled person could amount to disability discrimination.

Similar strong protections apply in employment, where a reasonable adjustment applies where an employer is recruiting or already employing disabled women. Failure to make adjustments or generally treating disabled applicants or employees less favourably than others would amount to unlawful disability discrimination. Where the law is breached, disabled people may enforce their rights in court or, as the case may be, at an employment tribunal.

The government also recognises that people hold multiple protected characteristics and that some experience discrimination due to a combination of these, for example sex and disability. We are committed to strengthening protections in this area, and will bring the combined discrimination (dual characteristics) provision at section 14 of the Act into force. This will help ensure adequate protection for people who experience combined discrimination.