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Equality Bill

I do not mind which of the noble Lords will be speaking, but perhaps I may ask how one is going to cope with this position. I very well understand how the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of York sees the chilling effect. However, since he has raised this, I also look at Clauses 4 and 10. Clause 4 in particular sets out the key concepts of equality and protected characteristics. It seems difficult to exclude it from the advancement of equality, under the "Public sector equality duty". Almost all the other protected characteristics, with the exception of gender reassignment, are to be found in Clause 148, and that may well be why the Government have kept it in this particular clause. Taking it out may also create certain difficulties where it is included in the key concepts throughout the rest of the Bill. How we are going to deal with this is worrying.