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Equality at heart of Queen's speech

by
02 November 2006

A NEW Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) will be introduced by the Government, the Queen announced in Parliament last week. The Commission should begin work in two years' time to ensure that people are not discriminated against on religious grounds.

The CEHR is part of the reintroduced Equality Bill, to outlaw discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services, premises, and education, and in the exercise of public functions (except in certain circumstances to do with national security), on the grounds of religion or belief.

The Queen also announced measures to "tackle those who incite religious hatred". This will be the third time the Government has sought legislation against incitement to religious hatred. Its proposals in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill were dropped after it realised it would not otherwise get the rest of its Bill through Parliament. The legislation was opposed on the grounds of free speech and the right to evangelise, and by those who feared it would make interfaith relations worse.

Among other Bills that could be of interest to the Church were proposals to continue to reform the House of Lords. The Prime Minister has said that he will await the conclusions of a new committee of peers and MPs before introducing any new legislation.

The Queen said that her Government would "tighten up the immigration and asylum system" and introduce identity cards.

It would also begin long-term reforms for pensions. The Government said that a special conference of MPs and stakeholder groups had been called for next month to find a way forward.

The Government would also "modernise charity law to develop a vibrant, diverse and independent charitable sector", the Queen said. Earlier proposals imposed a consideration of "primary public benefit" for charities, which might mean that religion was not automatically deemed a charitable cause.

The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones, speaking in the House of Lords, welcomed the emphasis in the Queen's Speech on a stable and strong economy. But he said: "An economy that neither respects the earth nor all its inhabitants is ultimately unsustainable."

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