Union says government's proposed equality regulations don't go far enough

Proposed legislation outlawing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and religious belief is a welcome move, but doesn't go far enough, says the Natfhe university and college lecturers' union.

A European directive means the government will bring in regulations on 2 December this year, banning discrimination in employment and training on the basis of sexual orientation and religious belief.

But Natfhe says that as it stands the law is too limited and may not be strong enough to enforce compliance. The union points out that:

* the sexual orientation regulations still allow only married couples to be eligible for partner employment benefits;

* primary legislation, rather than just a regulation should be introduced so that a statutory code of practice could be used to enforce the new laws; and

* the legislation covers employment and training only, and should be extended to other areas of life.

Natfhe's equalities official Kate Heasman, said: "Any protection from discrimination on these grounds is welcomed, but these proposals are deeply flawed. We need legislation with teeth - now more than ever, as intolerance is on the rise. Most worrying is the lack of an enforcement body."

She added: "The government should take this opportunity to sweep away all the anomalies in equalities legislation and introduce a single, coherent Equality Act."

The government's proposed measures were published in the green paper Equality and diversity: the way forward in October. The consultation period ended on 24 January and draft regulations are now awaited.