http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/197Equality Act 2010An Act to make provision to require Ministers of the Crown and others when making strategic decisions about the exercise of their functions to have regard to the desirability of reducing socio-economic inequalities; to reform and harmonise equality law and restate the greater part of the enactments relating to discrimination and harassment related to certain personal characteristics; to enable certain employers to be required to publish information about the differences in pay between male and female employees; to prohibit victimisation in certain circumstances; to require the exercise of certain functions to be with regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and other prohibited conduct; to enable duties to be imposed in relation to the exercise of public procurement functions; to increase equality of opportunity; to amend the law relating to rights and responsibilities in family relationships; and for connected purposes.texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2026-04-07Expert Participation2026-04-07 Equality Act 2010s. 40(1A)-(1C)Employment Rights Act 2025s. 21s. 159(3)Equality Act 2010s. 40BEmployment Rights Act 2025s. 22(2)s. 159(3)Equality Act 2010s. 208(5)(aa)Employment Rights Act 2025s. 22(3)s. 159(3)Equality Act 2010s. 78(3A)(3B)Employment Rights Act 2025s. 34(2)s. 159(3)Equality Act 2010s. 153(1A)(1B)Employment Rights Act 2025s. 34(3)s. 159(3)Equality Act 2010s. 154(3A)(3B)Employment Rights Act 2025s. 34(4)s. 159(3) Part 14 1971A Minister of the Crown may by order amend this Act to provide that any of the following does not contravene this Act so far as relating to age—aspecified conduct;banything done for a specified purpose;canything done in pursuance of arrangements of a specified description.2Specified conduct is conduct—aof a specified description,bcarried out in specified circumstances, orcby or in relation to a person of a specified description.3An order under this section may—aconfer on a Minister of the Crown or the Treasury a power to issue guidance about the operation of the order (including, in particular, guidance about the steps that may be taken by persons wishing to rely on an exception provided for by the order);brequire the Minister or the Treasury to carry out consultation before issuing guidance under a power conferred by virtue of paragraph (a);cmake provision (including provision to impose a requirement) that refers to guidance issued under a power conferred by virtue of paragraph (a).4Guidance given by a Minister of the Crown or the Treasury in anticipation of the making of an order under this section is, on the making of the order, to be treated as if it has been issued in accordance with the order.5For the purposes of satisfying a requirement imposed by virtue of subsection (3)(b), the Minister or the Treasury may rely on consultation carried out before the making of the order that imposes the requirement (including consultation carried out before the commencement of this section).6Provision by virtue of subsection (3)(c) may, in particular, refer to provisions of the guidance that themselves refer to a document specified in the guidance.7Guidance issued (or treated as issued) under a power conferred by virtue of subsection (3)(a) comes into force on such day as the person who issues the guidance may by order appoint; and an order under this subsection may include the text of the guidance or of extracts from it.8This section is not affected by any provision of this Act which makes special provision in relation to age.9The references to this Act in subsection (1) do not include references to—aPart 5 (work);bChapter 2 of Part 6 (further and higher education).