One of the last things the last Labour Government did during the dying days of its administration was push through the Equality Act in an attempt to ensure people conformed to its "diversity" and "equality" agendas.The new Coalition Government is now seeing that the requirements of the act are observed.
Public sector employers are required to "eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation" on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation.
To this end, organisations employing more than 150 people - that's 27,000 of them, including Government departments, councils, hospitals and schools - will be required to provide information each year, beginning this summer, about their employees.
The information, regarding millions of people in total, will include details of how many come from minority groups and details of salary.
In order to obtain information, staff will be asked to fill in questionnaires stating whether or not they are homosexual, whether or not they are in the process of changing gender, what religion they adhere to, and what disabilities they have.
Although answers are not compulsory, employees will be told they will help prevent bullying and pay gaps.
The resulting data will not be scrutinised by the Government, but by individuals and voluntary bodies of David Cameron's "Big Society."
Guidance by the Equality and Human Rights Commission warns public bodies not to identify individuals by publishing detailed figures on small offices, but says they must do all they can to obtain accurate data on the make-up of their staff, despite fears about intrusion, preferably through "routine monitoring."
All this extra work is required from public sector employers at a time when they are required to make massive savings. What's more, it seems likely the requirement will cause as many problems as it solves.
According to the Daily Mail, the guidance says complying with the requirements of the act "may involve treating some people better than others, as far as this is allowed by discrimination law."
Mrs Hazelmary Bull, who with her husband was ordered to pay thousands of pounds to a homosexual couple this week for refusing to allow them to share a double bed in their home, which doubles as a bed and breakfast establishment, said after the case: "I do feel that Christianity is being marginalised in Britain. . . Much is said about equality and diversity, but it seems that some people are more equal than others."
Whatever one's views on the Bulls' case, with so much information about employees to be handed over to who knows who, can Big Brother be far behind?
