Language Equality Bill 2021
A bill to prevent the discrimination of speakers of official languages in the Houses of Parliament, in Committees, and other Parliamentary settings, to prevent the discrimination of speakers of minority languages in the workplace, and for connected purposes.| Bill ID | B058 |
|---|---|
| Author(s) |
 Sir Llywelyn ap Iorwerth mp (On behalf of HM Government IX) |
| Amended by | N/A |
| First reading | 2021 January 28 |
| Royal assent | TBC |
| Commencement | TBC |
| Affected legislation |
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Amendments to Existing Acts
In Part 3 Chapter 1 of the
(Amdt. A), after Section 4 insert:
“(5) Speakers of the Official Languages as defined by Part 2 Chapter 2 of this Act shall not be prevented from speaking their native language while participating in the democratic processes of the UK. This includes but is not limited to:- a) participating in a hearing in either of the Houses of Parliament, b) participating in a committee, c) or participating in other such Parliamentary proceedings.”
In Part 3, Chapter 1 of the Language Act 2020 Languages of the UK Act 2020 (Amdt. A), after Section 5 insert:
“(6) An employer may not prevent employees to communicate with other employees or customers in the language that they desire.”
The Equality Act 2010 is amended as such: * In section 4, add after “language knowledge” “official language knowledge.” * In section 4(B) “language knowledge”, add the following: > Official language knowledge means a person’s ability to communicate in or understand one or more of the offical languages as described in the Languages of the UK Act 2020.
2 Short Title, Commencement and Extent
This Act can be cited as the Language Equality Act 2021 This Act comes into force on the passing of this Act. This Act extends to the entirety of the UK.