Public Organisations are legally obliged to ensure that they do not discriminate against participants, employees, and volunteers on grounds of disability, gender, and race. The most relevant legislation is listed below
Key Legislation
This document provides information on the key pieces of legislation related to promoting equality and tackling unfair discrimination, that have been passed in the UK and EU. It importantly has hyperlinks directly to the actual text of the legislation and to the relevant government department website.
Key Legislation (MS Word, 1.57 MB)
Legislation Guide for Governing Bodies
SportScotland and UK Sport have jointly porduced a guide containing a clear and simple explanation of the legal duties and requirements for Governing Bodies under the six major equality strands. To access the guide that was published in Nov 2007 please follow this link www.sportscotland.org.uk/ChannelNavigation/Resource Library/Publications/Equalities legislation.htm
Disability Legislation
Disability Discrimination Legislation for Sports Clubs
On 1 October 2004, sports clubs became legally obliged to make reasonable adjustments to their premises so that people with a disability can use their facilities. Find out more about this important law.
More
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995)
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 aims to end the discrimination that many disabled people face. This Act gives disabled people rights in the areas of
> employment
> education
> access to goods, facilities and services
> buying or renting land or property
> transport
DDA 1995
Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA 2005)
In April 2005 a new Disability Discrimination Act was passed by Parliament, which amends or extends existing provisions in the DDA 1995, including:
> making it unlawful for operators of transport vehicles to discriminate against disabled people
> making sure that private clubs with 25 or more members cannot keep disabled people out, just because they have a disability
> ensuring that discrimination law covers all the activities of the public sector
> requiring public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people
DDA 2005
Disability Discrimination Act - Frequently Asked Questions
This fact sheet has been produced by Sport England to answer many of the frequently asked questions relating to the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act.
 FAQs
The Duty to Promote Disability Equality: Statutory Code of Practice
The Disability Equality Duty, produced by the Disability Rights Commission, explains how the Disability Discrimination Acts can be used in a practical way by introducing policies that actively promote opportunities and so prevent discrimination from taking place.
More info
Gender Legislation
Gender equality duty
The Gender Equality Duty comes into force in April 2007. All public authorities must demonstrate that they are promoting equality for women and men and that they are eliminating sexual discrimination and harassment.
More info
Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA)
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 applies to both men and women and makes sex discrimination unlawful in employment and vocational training, education, the provision and sale of goods, facilities and services and premises. It also covers discrimination against someone on the grounds of being married and of gender reassignment. Amended as of the 24th June 2004
SDA (1.3MB)
A Guide to the Sex Discrimination Act
This guide, produced by the Government’s Women and Equality Unit, places emphasis on the provisions of the Act that are likely to be of particular interest to those on whom it imposes obligations or confers rights.
Guide to the SDA (174Kb)
Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999
These regulations are a measure to prevent discrimination against transsexual people on the grounds of sex in pay and treatment in employment and vocational training. They effectively insert into the SDA a provision to extend the Act, insofar as it refers to employment and vocational training, to include discrimination on gender reassignment grounds.
Gender Reassignment Regulations
Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
These regulations outlaw discrimination (direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation) in employment and vocational training on the grounds of sexual orientation. The regulations apply to discrimination on grounds of orientation towards persons of the same sex (lesbians and gays), the opposite sex (heterosexuals) and the same and opposite sex (bisexuals).
Sexual Orientation Regulations
Sex Discrimination Code of Practice
The Code of Practice, produced by the Equal Opportunities Commission, provides guidance on measures that can be taken, in line with the Sex Discrimination Act, to promote equality for men and women.
Code of Practice
Race Legislation
Race Relations Act 1976 (RRA)
Under the Race Relations Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone on grounds of race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), or ethnic or national origin. All racial groups are protected from discrimination. The RRA generally applies to the fields of employment, planning, housing, the exercise of public functions (both by public authorities and also private bodies exercising public functions, for example, privately-run prisons), the provision of goods, facilities and services, and education.
RRA
Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RR(A)A)
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act outlaws discrimination (direct and indirect) and victimisation in all public authority functions not previously covered by the Race Relations Act, with only limited exceptions. It also places a general duty on specified public authorities to promote race equality.
RR(A)A
Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
These regulations outlaw discrimination (direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation) in employment and vocational training on the grounds of religion or belief. The regulations apply to discrimination on grounds of religion, religious belief or similar philosophical belief.
Religion or Belief Regulations
The Duty to Promote Race Equality Code of Practice
This statutory code, produced by the Commission for Racial Equality, gives public authorities practical guidance on the steps they should take to tackle racial discrimination and promote equal opportunities and good race relations in line with the Race Relations Act. It covers both the general duty and the specific duties. The code's appendices make clear whether, and how, your authority is affected by these duties.
Race Equality Duty (443 Kb)
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