Equality Act comes into force

Employers from the 1st October will be banned from asking job applicants about their health after most provisions of the 2010 Equality Act have taken effect.

Among other changes to the law is the introduction of a measure to stop pay secrecy clauses being used to hide unfair differences between what men and women are paid.

Around 90% of the Act came into force on the 1st October, after it was pushed through Parliament by Labour minister Harriet Harman before the General Election.

The Government has yet to implement some other more controversial elements of the Act as yet, such as the requirement for large organisations to publish the gap in pay between male and female employees, and the right of employers to use “positive action” to recruit more female or ethnic minority staff.

The Act brings together nine separate pieces of legislation, including the Equal Pay Act.