xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"

Statutory Instruments

2007 No. 2603 (C. 100)

Equal opportunities and human rights

The Equality Act 2006 (Commencement No.3 and Savings) Order 2007

Made

7th September 2007

The Secretary of State makes this Order in exercise of the power conferred by section 93 of the Equality Act 2006(1).

Citation and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Equality Act 2006 (Commencement No.3 and Savings) Order 2007.

(2) In this Order—

“the 1975 Act” means the Sex Discrimination Act 1975(2);

“the 1976 Act” means the Race Relations Act 1976(3);

“the 1999 Act” means the Disability Rights Commission Act 1999(4);

“the 2006 Act” means the Equality Act 2006; and

“the Commission” means the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

Provisions coming into force

2.  Subject to article 3, the following provisions of the 2006 Act shall come into force on 1st October 2007—

(a)sections 6 to 32;

(b)section 40 (in so far as it is not yet in force);

(c)section 91; and

(d)Schedules 2 to 4.

Savings

3.  The consequential amendments in paragraphs 11, 12 (in so far as it applies to section 70 of the 1975 Act), 26, 27 (in so far as it applies to section 61 of the 1976 Act) and 59 of Schedule 3 to the 2006 Act and the repeals in Schedule 4 to that Act of Part VI and section 70 of the 1975 Act, Part VII and section 61 of the 1976 Act and the 1999 Act shall not have effect in relation to—

(a)the discharge by the Commission of the functions specified in article 5(1) of the Equality Act 2006 (Dissolution of Commissions and Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Order 2007(5) (discharge by the Commission of certain functions of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission), or

(b)section 61 of the 1975 Act (restriction on disclosure of information), section 52 of the 1976 Act (restriction on disclosure of information) and paragraph 22 of Schedule 3 to the 1999 Act (restriction on disclosure of information).

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Iain Wright

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Communities and Local Government

7th September 2007

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order brings into force on 1st October 2007 those sections of the Equality Act 2006 which are not already in force. Article 3 provides savings for the purposes of the discharge of functions exercised by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights pursuant to article 5(1) of the Equality Act 2006 (Dissolution of Commissions and Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/2602) and to preserve the restrictions on the disclosure of information obtained in connection with investigations undertaken by the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission or the Equal Opportunities Commission.