Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that no one is discriminated against when booking goods and services online from companies based in the UK on the basis of their name.

Domestic anti-discrimination law is contained in the Equality Act 2010 (“the Act”).

A person’s name may be indicative of their sex and/or their race, both of which are grounds for discrimination covered by the Act.

If a provider of goods or services treats someone unfairly because of their name, for instance because it indicates that they are of a certain colour, nationality or ethnic origin, that may constitute unlawful discrimination under the Act.

If someone believes that they have suffered discrimination for this reason they can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which provides free help and advice to the public. The service can be contacted by a range of means, including by telephone (0808 800 0082) or via its website: https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/.