public sector duties
public sector duties
A generic term for legally enforceable duties which are required of all public bodies in the UK, including local authorities and hospitals and organisations that provide services on behalf of such public bodies—e.g., the voluntary sector.The statutory language covering these duties state that “due regard” must be taken into account in relation to race, disability and gender equality. Parliament’s Equality Act 2010 brought together these duties, added more protected groups (e.g., sexual orientation) to be covered and began enforcing them in 2011. The legislative framework has two main components: general duty and specific duties. The general duty sets out the main objectives of each of the duties, while the specific duties are the steps that public bodies have to take to help meet the general duty.