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Sex Discrimination (Amendment of Legislation) Regulations 2008

Absolutely. As I was going to say, because we have been so aware of the EHRC’s concerns and because we are in a process which will culminate in a new Equality Act, we are absolutely intent on continuing the dialogue that we have had with the EHRC. We know that there are outstanding issues; the noble Lord referred to some of them. A meeting is fixed to take place in the next couple of weeks. As we go through this process it is important that we keep close to this in the way that we said we would when we talk for example about insurance provisions. We certainly anticipate and will observe the reaction of the industry, and we will certainly work closely with the EHRC on this. As I say, we have dealt with what we could in these regulations. We have been concerned about timing, infraction procedures and so on, for the reasons that noble Lords understand. This is absolutely an ongoing dialogue. We did not want to get into any more trouble through delay and so on. The EHRC, along with other lobby groups, obviously has a very important role in assessing the reconciliation of regulations and where we go from here, and we really do want to continue the dialogue. The regulations are a stepping stone to the broad sunlit uplands that we aim to reach in due course. It is very useful that we have that to look forward to and that we can take that dialogue forward. The noble Lord made a couple of other points. This House has made clear its views on religious harassment on more than one occasion. We consulted on the case for explicit statutory protection on the ground of religion as part of discrimination law, and we will set out our position when we consult on the whole thing. I think that I have addressed most of the issues that the noble Lord raised. I am grateful again for the way in which the Committee has responded to the regulations. I appreciate that the regulations have not been the easiest set to follow in some respects—indeed, they have a long and complex history—but I am grateful for the support that they have received and commend them to the Committee. On Question, Motion agreed to.