Section 153: Power to impose specific duties
Effect
494.This section enables a Minister of the Crown to make regulations imposing specific duties on public bodies listed in Part 1 of Schedule 19 to enable them to carry out the public sector equality duty more effectively. The Welsh Ministers can similarly impose specific duties on relevant Welsh bodies listed in Part 2 of the Schedule, and the Scottish Ministers can impose specific duties on relevant Scottish bodies listed in Part 3 of the Schedule.
495.Section 154 deals with the imposition of specific duties on public bodies listed in Part 4 of the Schedule (cross-border authorities).
496.The Equality and Human Rights Commission must be consulted before specific duties are imposed.
Background
497.This section replaces similar provisions in previous legislation for the Lord Privy Seal and the Scottish Ministers to impose specific duties for the race and gender public sector equality duties, and for the Secretary of State and the Scottish Ministers to impose specific duties for the disability public sector equality duty. The Welsh Ministers previously did not have the power to impose specific duties on Welsh bodies.
498.The pre-existing provisions have in the past been used to require listed public bodies to prepare and publish race, disability and gender equality schemes, for example.
