The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2016

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (“the 2012 Regulations”).

A new regulation 6A is inserted into the 2012 Regulations. This requires the Scottish Ministers to gather information on the relevant protected characteristics of members of an authority listed for the purposes of those Regulations and to provide that information to the authority. An authority must use information received to better perform the equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 and must set out certain relevant details in any report on progress on mainstreaming the equality duty (under regulation 3 of the 2012 Regulations).

These Regulations also insert a new regulation 8A into the 2012 Regulations. This sets out revised timescales for publishing gender pay gap information and statements on equal pay under regulations 7 and 8 of the 2012 Regulations. Whilst at present publication under those regulations is not required where an authority has under 150 employees, these Regulations require publication except where an authority has less than 20 employees.