Zarah ChoudharyA new call for evidence has been launched today to enable businesses, trade unions and civil society to help shape the Government’s Plan for Change.
The call for evidence will run for 12 weeks and end on 30th June, 2025.
Responses will support consideration of a range of areas, including steps to make the right to equal pay effective for women, people from ethnic minority groups, and disabled people.
This call for evidence is one of several exercises which will help shape the measures included in the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill which will be published this session.
This follows the recently launched mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting consultation, which closes on 10th June, 2025.
Minister for Equalities, Seema Malhotra MP said: “I am pleased to announce the launch of a call for evidence on equality law, an important step in this Government’s Plan for Change.
“Our goal is to understand how we can better remove barriers to opportunity and boost household incomes across the country so people can achieve according to their talents, irrespective of their backgrounds.”
The Government is seeking input from anyone with relevant evidence, including expert bodies, employers, disabled people’s organisations, civil society groups, trade unions, public authorities and individuals with expertise by experience.
It is particularly interested in views on a number of areas of equality policy.
These include the prevalence of pay discrimination on the basis of race and disability, making the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people and introducing measures to ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay.
The Government said it is also looking at ways to improve the enforcement of equal pay rights by establishing an Equal Pay Regulatory and Enforcement Unit, with the involvement of trade unions, alongside improving pay transparency and strengthening protections against combined discrimination.
Other areas under consideration included ensuring the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is met by all parties exercising public functions, creating and maintaining workplaces free from sexual harassment for all and commencing the socio-economic duty.
Minister for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms MP said: “I’m proud to support this call for evidence, which will help inform the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill in line with the Government’s manifesto commitment to put disabled people’s views and voices at the heart of all we do.
“I encourage people to take part and help shape plans that boost individual opportunity for disabled people, increase household incomes and support businesses in employing the best person for the job.”
