Written question asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Hanham (Conservative) on Tuesday, 1 February 2011.

Localism Bill

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make provision to ensure that the diversification of service provision under the Localism Bill is carried out in ways which do not reduce the scope of protection given by the Human Rights Act 1998 and the public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010.

Answer: The community right to challenge in the Localism Bill will contribute to the diversification of service provision. The right enables voluntary and community bodies, parish councils and local authority employees to express an interest in running a local authority service, which may trigger a procurement exercise for the service. Where this is the case, as with services that are already contracted out, local authorities will need to ensure they comply with their existing obligations under human rights and equalities legislation.

Secondary information