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Equality Bill [HL]

My Lords, Amendment No. 3, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Turner, deals with the appointment of commissioners, among whom is a commissioner for Scotland. I am afraid that those noble Lords from Scotland are not all present today, but we are certainly grateful for the attention paid by the Government to some points that we have raised before and how they have dealt with them. Paragraph 2(2)(b) deals with the Scottish commissioner. Will the Minister confirm my understanding that equality of race, sex and disability are matters for the whole UK, and that it is probably only in human rights that there are devolved implications? At the same time, I understand that the Scottish Parliament is currently considering a Scottish Commissioner for Human Rights Bill. Is it the Government’s intention that that Bill will enable the appointee under the Equality Bill to carry out functions in Scotland, whether the same man takes up the functions or a separate commissioner is to be appointed in Scotland to act on devolved equality issues?