This is the seventh Commencement Order made under the Equality Act 2010 (c. 15) (“the Act”). The Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1736 (C. 91)), the Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1966 (C. 104)), the Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2191 (C. 109)), the Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 4, Savings, Consequential, Transitional, Transitory and Incidental Provisions and Revocation) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2317 (C. 112)) (as amended by the Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 4, Savings, Consequential, Transitional, Transitory and Incidental Provisions and Revocation) Order 2010 (Amendment) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2337 (C. 113))), the Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/96 (C. 5)) and the Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 6) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1066) (C. 43) brought into force most of the provisions of the Act. The fourth Commencement Order (as amended) also set out savings, consequential, transitional, transitory and incidental provisions and a revocation in relation to existing legislation, which were required as a result of the repeal and revocation of previous discrimination legislation and its replacement by the Act. The Equality Act 2010 (Consequential Amendments, Saving and Supplementary Provisions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2279) amended the Act, including by adding new provisions into the Act and renumbering existing provisions.

This Order brings section 37 of the Act into force on 11th July 2011. This confers a power on Scottish Ministers to make regulations entitling disabled people to make disability-related alterations or additions to some common parts of residential property in Scotland; it also sets out what matters the regulations may provide for and that the Scottish Ministers must consult a Minister of the Crown before exercising the power.

This Order also brings section 202(3) of the Act into force on 11th July 2011, as well as section 202(1) and (4) in part. This amends the power conferred on the Secretary of State by section 6A of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (c. 33) to make regulations for approving premises for the registration of civil partnerships. The amended power sets out that regulations may provide for premises approved for civil partnerships to differ from those approved for civil marriage, for applications for approval of religious premises to be made with the consent of a specified person and for religious premises provisions to differ from those for other premises and for different religious premises.